Lionel Messi announced on Monday that he is retiring from international football. The 39-year-old posted a handwritten letter on Instagram — accompanied by the Argentine folk song Brindis by Soledad Pastorutti — confirming a decision that many around him had long sensed was coming, even if no one wanted it to arrive.
“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deeply — but I understand that the time has come,” Messi wrote. “I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; 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.”
The announcement came weeks after Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19th, and days after the death of Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, who passed away in Rosario in August. Messi revealed that the letter was actually written two days after the final — a private, cathartic release — but that the loss of his father had made him more certain than ever that the moment had come. He never writes “I won” in the letter. It is always “we” or “everything was won.”
What He Leaves Behind
Messi played for Argentina for 21 years, making his senior debut in 2005 at the age of 18. He ends his international career with 207 caps and 98 goals — Argentina’s all-time leading scorer. He played in six World Cups, won the tournament in 2022 in Qatar, reached the final in 2026, and was the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner in both 2014 and 2022. He won the Silver Ball in 2026 and the Silver Boot in 2022. He won two Copa América titles for Argentina as well.
His 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar was the defining redemption of his international career — a title that had seemed to elude him for so long that an entire mythology of near-misses and heartbreaks had grown up around the absence of it. The 2026 tournament, ending in a 1-0 defeat to Spain in extra time, was his farewell. Emi Martínez made 11 saves. Messi barely touched the ball.
The World Cup coach Lionel Scaloni was photographed in tears at his press conference after the final — weeping not over the defeat, one reporter observed, but because he was fully aware that what this particular group of men had built and experienced together over eight years had reached its end.
Argentina Reacts
Buenos Aires did not receive the news quietly. On a street corner, someone placed a red telephone on a table with a sign reading: “What would you say to Messi?” Passersby stopped and spoke into the receiver. An 86-year-old man said Messi had given him “the greatest joys of my life” and would be “in my heart until the day I die.” A young boy burst into tears at school. A little girl said he was “the best and the greatest.” An elderly man signed off simply: “Bye, son.”
Sports psychologists, writers, journalists, and cultural commentators all attempted to articulate what the retirement meant. The writer Andrés Burgo noted that in 10 of the past 12 World Cups, either Diego Maradona or Messi had played — a combined stretch of almost 45 years during which grandparents, parents, and children shared the same extraordinary privilege. “The heir will arrive — we hope,” Burgo wrote, “but right now is a time of orphanage. And gratitude.”
The poet Valeria Correa Fiz noted a detail from the handwritten letter itself: Messi originally wrote “I think” before the line about understanding the time had come. He crossed it out and replaced it with “I understand.”
The Tributes That Followed
David Beckham, co-owner of Messi’s club Inter Miami and a former opponent from the Real Madrid-Barcelona years, wrote: “Leo, you have been a credit to yourself, your family, your friends and your country. Leading by example and creating inspiration for millions of children not just in Argentina but around the whole world. Your legacy will live forever.”
José Mourinho — who managed Real Madrid against Messi at the height of the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry between 2010 and 2013 — wrote simply: “The next Copa América and the next World Cup won’t be the same.”
Enzo Fernández, now at Chelsea and one of Messi’s World Cup-winning teammates, described going from childhood fan to champion alongside his hero. “Life ended up being far more beautiful than that boy was able to imagine.” Ángel Di María wrote: “All I know is that I was born in the right century to be able to witness you play, relish your performances and, on top of that, share all those years with you in the national team.” Cristian Romero wrote: “As a kid, I dreamed of meeting you someday. But I never imagined that life would give me the gift of sharing this with you.”
Giovani Lo Celso said he had spent “nine years listening to you, admiring you and learning by your side.” Nico Paz revealed that since he was four years old, he and his father used to watch Messi play and “calculate together whether I would be in time to play with you.”
Even FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who handed Messi the World Cup trophy in Qatar, paid tribute, calling him a player whose “magical talent and humility will be remembered forever.” Argentine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto added: “Thank you for getting back up time and time again and giving everything to make an entire country happy.”
He Is Not Done Playing Football
Messi is not retiring from club football. He continues his career at Inter Miami in MLS, where he is currently leading the league with 18 goals this season. He scored 20 goals in his first full MLS season in 2024, 29 goals in 2025 as he led Inter Miami to an MLS Cup, and scored four goals for the club at the weekend before posting his retirement letter on Monday. Inter Miami sits second in the Eastern Conference, 10 points behind Nashville SC.
He is stepping away from Argentina. He is not stepping away from the game he loves.
The final image of his international career will be the tears he shed in front of the stands in New Jersey after the final defeat to Spain — tears that his manager also shed, and that a nation recognised as its own. In Buenos Aires, three small boys walked down a street on Monday wearing number 10 Messi shirts. They did not know what was about to change. They still have time.
Stay informed. Subscribe to the JournalTodays Newsletter for the latest football news, Messi retirement coverage, and sports updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: No. Messi has retired from international football — specifically from the Argentina national team. He continues his club career at Inter Miami in MLS, where he is currently the league’s leading scorer.
A: Messi scored 98 goals in 207 appearances for Argentina, making him the country’s all-time leading scorer.
A: Messi played in six World Cups — 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026. He won the 2022 tournament and was runner-up in 2026.
A: Messi said the decision “hurt and continues to hurt” but that he understood the time had come. The announcement came after Argentina’s defeat in the 2026 World Cup final and the death of his father Jorge Messi in August 2026.
A: David Beckham, José Mourinho, Enzo Fernández, Ángel Di María, Cristian Romero, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and Argentine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto were among those who paid tribute publicly.
