Messi retires from Argentina for good after 207 caps and World Cup glory

Lionel Messi retired from international football on Monday, bringing a definitive end to a 20-year Argentina career that produced 207 caps, 125 goals, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup title. The 39-year-old announced the decision in an Instagram post, revealing he had made up his mind two days after Spain defeated Argentina in extra time of last month’s World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Messi wrote that the death of his father, Jorge, earlier this month in the family’s hometown of Rosario had only cemented what he already knew. “I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,” he said. “Thank you for all the affection over these past 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the pitch so much.”

The retirement closes a chapter that, remarkably, almost ended a decade earlier in the same stadium. In June 2016, after Chile beat Argentina on penalties in the Copa América Centenario final at MetLife Stadium, a 29-year-old Messi — who had missed his own spot-kick — told reporters he was done with the national team amid a dispute between players and the Argentine Football Association. He never missed a single game before reversing course.

That decision to stay proved historic. Messi went on to lead Argentina to the Copa América title in 2021, beating Brazil at the Maracanã, and then to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 — the one honour that had eluded him throughout a club career already decorated with four UEFA Champions League titles and eight Ballon d’Or awards.

His international record across three World Cup finals and five Copa América finals — winning the last two editions of the latter and the 2022 world title — stands as the most decorated in the history of the Argentine national team.

Messi will continue playing club football with MLS champions Inter Miami. There is no suggestion of a return this time.