Lionel Messi retires from international football after Argentina's 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain

File Pic - Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy after winning the World Cup in 2022. (AP/PTI Photo)

Lionel Messi has finally closed the book on his extraordinary Argentina career. At 39, after nearly two decades wearing the famous blue-and-white shirt, Messi has announced his retirement from international football, ending a journey that took him from a teenage debutant in 2005 to Argentina captain and World Cup-winning legend. He leaves after six World Cups, two Copa America titles and the greatest prize of all — the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He also led Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final, where they lost to Spain. Messi's international career was not always the fairytale it became. There were lost finals, criticism and even a brief retirement from international football in 2016. But the final chapter transformed his legacy, with Argentina winning the Copa America in 2021, the 2022 World Cup and another Copa America in 2024. His decision to walk away now brings an emotional end to one of football's greatest international careers. Messi said the decision was painful but that he understood the time had come. He revealed that he had written his retirement statement on July 21, two days after Argentina's 2026 World Cup final defeat to Spain, but waited before publishing it as his father was facing serious health issues. From his first World Cup goal to his long-awaited international triumph, here are 10 moments that defined Messi's remarkable journey.

1. World Cup debut and first goal — 2006 Messi announced himself on football's biggest stage as an 18-year-old at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Against Serbia and Montenegro, he came off the bench, assisted Hernán Crespo and then scored in a 6-0 victory. He became Argentina's youngest World Cup player and scorer at the time.

2. Meeting Diego Maradona — 2010 The 2010 World Cup brought Messi together with another Argentine icon, Diego Maradona, who was then the national team's coach. Messi arrived in South Africa as one of the world's biggest stars after establishing himself at Barcelona, but Argentina's campaign ended in a heavy quarter-final defeat to Germany. The tournament nonetheless marked an important stage in Messi's evolution as the face of Argentine football.

3. Breaking Barcelona’s scoring record — 2012 Messi surpassed César Rodríguez to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer with a hat-trick against Granada on March 20, 2012. He equalled the 232-goal mark with his first goal, broke it with his second and extended it with his third. He eventually left Barcelona with 672 goals, a record that underlined his extraordinary impact at the club.

4. The 91-goal year — 2012 Messi produced one of the most astonishing scoring years football has ever seen in 2012. He finished with 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina, including 79 for his club and 12 for his country. The remarkable tally surpassed Gerd Müller’s previous calendar-year record and earned Messi his fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or.

5. Breaking La Liga’s scoring record — 2014 Another hat-trick delivered another historic record. Messi scored three times against Sevilla in November 2014 to surpass Telmo Zarra as La Liga's all-time leading scorer. Zarra's 251-goal record had stood since 1955. Messi eventually finished his La Liga career with 474 goals, still comfortably ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's 311 for Real Madrid.

6. First senior international trophy — 2021 For years, the biggest criticism of Messi's Argentina career was his failure to win a senior international trophy. That finally changed at the Maracana in July 2021. Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final, with Ángel Di María scoring the decisive goal. Messi, who had scored four goals during the tournament, was named its best player. The emotional images of Messi collapsing to the ground at the final whistle and being lifted by his teammates became symbolic of years of frustration finally being released.

7. World Cup glory in Qatar — 2022 This was the moment that completed Messi's collection. Argentina beat France on penalties after a breathtaking 3-3 draw in the 2022 World Cup final. Messi scored twice, converted Argentina's first penalty in the shootout and was named the tournament's best player after scoring seven goals. He became the first player to score in every round of the tournament, while Argentina ended a 36-year wait for the World Cup.

8. Eighth Ballon d'Or — 2023 The World Cup triumph also delivered another individual landmark. Messi won the Ballon d'Or for a record eighth time in 2023, with his victory largely driven by his performances in Qatar. It was another reminder that his international success had finally caught up with the individual brilliance he had displayed throughout his career.

9. World Cup’s top scorer (briefly) The Argentina captain produced another remarkable campaign at 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring eight goals to take his World Cup tally to 21 — briefly making him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. Kylian Mbappé subsequently moved past him to 22 goals in the third-place match against England.

10. His final World Cup — 2026 Messi's final World Cup provided one last chapter to his extraordinary Argentina story. At 39, he led Argentina all the way to the final, where they suffered a 0-1 extra-time defeat to Spain. But his individual campaign provided another memorable chapter on football’s biggest stage. Two days after that final, Messi had already made his decision. For Argentina, there will never be another Messi. For nearly 20 years, he carried the weight of a football-mad nation, endured the disappointment of lost finals and eventually delivered the trophies his country had craved.

End of Article