Lionel Messi recently brought the curtain down on his international career. The first time around, in 2016, he had not won any silverware with Argentina and was vilified by some of his compatriots for not being patriotic enough. On the second occasion of his retirement, he walks away as a highly decorated World Cup winner.
The era of Lionel Messi as a soccer player is slowly coming to an end, just over two decades after he made his professional debut for Spanish giants Barcelona. On Monday (31 August) Messi revealed that he is retiring from Argentina’s national team, just over a month after losing his second Fifa World Cup final from the last three editions of the global showpiece.
The 39-year-old tapped into the last reserves of his superpowers to help Argentina reach the final of the 2026 World Cup. Messi directly contributed to 12 of Argentina’s 19 goals on their way to the final, where they lost to Spain. La Pulga Atomica (the atomic flea), as Messi is affectionately known, scored eight times and assisted on four occasions as Argentina bulldozed their way to the decider.
However, unlike at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Messi’s influence did not yield gold medals for Argentina. Nevertheless, his presence was powerful right up until the final match of what will now be etched into the history books as the closing chapter of his international journey.
In announcing his departure from the international scene, as well as hinting at a complete retirement from soccer in the near future, the magical Messi said: “Time runs out, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team.
“I’ve given it my all, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some really great young players coming through behind me who deserve their chance.
“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul, but I understand that it is the right time,” the former Argentina skipper added. “I swear I always gave everything, not just in the last few years when we won everything, but before that too, and I always fought and gave my all for this shirt.”
The genesis of Messi and Argentina
Messi made his international debut in 2005, just a year after he was introduced into the Barcelona senior side. Although he was just 18 years old at the time, the comparisons to compatriot Diego Maradona were already in full swing. This constantly weighed him down, especially as he went without a major trophy for the national team they won the 2021 Copa América in Brazil.
Until that moment of relief for Messi and his national teammates, some Argentinians accused the winger of not performing at the peak of his powers for his country and only reserving his best for his club Barcelona.
Of course, having lived in Spain since the of age 13, Messi was also viewed by some as being more Spanish than Argentinian. And those loud voices argued that he could never be better than Maradona. These allegations of a lack of commitment to his country led Messi to retire for a few weeks in 2016.
After that 2021 Copa victory, Diego Maradona Jr. defended Messi against such claims.
“I adore Messi, I love him. There has never been one in the history of football that has his quality. I see him so happy now that he achieved this title with the national team. It makes me very happy,” the young Maradona told TyC Sports.
“Diego was Diego and Messi is Messi. The one who criticises Messi does not understand anything about football. He suffered a lot when they compared him with my father,” Maradona’s son added.
Despite that Copa victory, the comparisons to Maradona and other soccer greats (such as Brazilian Pelé and France’s Zinedine Zidane) continued. For Messi to be truly considered one of the all-time greats, he had to win the World Cup. He had come close in 2014, but Argentina’s hearts were broken by a 1-0 extra-time Germany win on that occasion.
Then came the moment that further endeared Messi to those who have always backed him, while softening the hearts of detractors. Messi scored seven goals and provided three assists in seven appearances during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning campaign to emphatically cement his legacy as a legend of not just soccer, but sport in general.
After this triumph, Messi declared that that would be his final World Cup. According to Messi, on the back of so many years of some people measuring his greatness with the absence of a gold medal from the global soccer spectacle, there was no better time to walk away from the national team.
However, his father and long-time agent Jorge Messi (who died in August 2026, at the age of 68 after a long illness) convinced Messi to not retire from international soccer after the 2022 triumph.
Instead the senior Messi advised his son to remain and participate in another World Cup. He believed that Argentina had the capacity to defend their world title and reward Messi with a second World Cup. It was not to be.
Messi walks away from the national team with 125 goals in 207 appearances. He played in six World Cups after debuting at the 2006 edition, a record he holds alongside his long-time on-pitch rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
“After what happened with my dad, I’m even more convinced than before. Now I’ll be just one of you, always cheering and supporting from the sidelines,” Messi said in his farewell message.
“I’m leaving with the peace of mind and pride of having given you, together with my teammates, moments we’d only dreamed of. It was incredible to have experienced this with you all.”
The Messi chapter in soccer is not closed just yet. There is still some time to enjoy his peerless soccer intelligence at US club Inter Miami. Opportunities to witness him appear to pause time as he glides past opponents. Occasions to watch him strike the most sumptuous free kicks soccer has ever seen. Enjoy these moments as they will soon be over and the only thing soccer fans will have are memories. DM
Follow the story
