Lionel Messi has retired from international football, bringing an end to his illustrious Argentina career after the country fell short in the World Cup final in July.
Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, had hoped to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup triumphs but suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spain after extra time.
The 39-year-old made 207 appearances for Argentina, the second-most by any men’s international footballer, scoring 125 goals during a career spanning more than two decades.
Messi said he made the decision to retire two days after Argentina’s 19 July World Cup final defeat to Spain, but delayed making the announcement publicly.
His decision came as his father, Jorge Messi, died in August at the age of 68 following a long illness. Messi had returned to club football with Inter Miami after the World Cup before his father’s death.
“After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the national team,” Messi wrote on Instagram.
“It was a decision that hurt—and still hurts deep down—but I understand that the time has come,” he said.
Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, having previously won the Golden Ball at the 2014 tournament, when Argentina made their first of three final appearances during his career.
He ends his World Cup career as the second-highest goalscorer in the competition’s history behind Kylian Mbappe, after both players surpassed Miroslav Klose’s previous record tally during the tournament.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Barcelona icon continues to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, scoring four goals in a 7-1 victory over Montreal on Saturday.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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