Lionel Messi has confirmed he is retiring from international football after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain last month.
The 39-year-old said on Monday afternoon that he reached the decision two days after the 1-0 loss in the July 19 final, explaining that he felt it was “the right time” to step away.
In a note added at the bottom of his statement, Messi said the death of his father, Jorge, at the start of the month had made him “even more convinced than before” that his decision was the correct one.
Posting on Instagram, Messi wrote: “After all this time that has passed since the final, and after much thought, I want to announce to everyone that I am retiring from the National Team…”
“It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts, to my core, but I understand that it’s the right time. I swear that I always gave my all, not just in the last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentinian through football.”
Messi first played for Argentina in 2005 as an 18-year-old and went on to win more than 200 caps, captaining his country to their third World Cup title in 2022.
Lionel Messi has ended his Argentina career after 21 years with the national team
The forward scored 125 goals in Argentina’s iconic blue and white shirt, including eight at the World Cup staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and also helped his country win two Copa America titles.
But after 21 years of playing international football, Messi stated ‘I have nothing more to give’ and that he believes there are plenty of ‘great young players’ ready in line to replace him.
He continued: ‘Thank you for all the love and support over these 20 years. I’m going to miss hearing you all from the inside so much. Now I’m going to be just one of you, cheering and supporting you from the sidelines (in good times and bad, even more so).
‘Thank you to my family for always being there, for accompanying me on this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to each and every one of the coaches, teammates, and managers I had the privilege of working with. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments.
‘I leave with the peace and pride of having given you, along with my teammates, dreamlike moments. It was incredible to have experienced it with you all. I love you!
‘Thank you, God, for making me Argentinian. Go Argentina!’
The footballing world has paid tribute to Messi, whom many consider the greatest footballer of his generation – if not every – with many of the Argentina squad writing messages of thanks on social media.
Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul, considered one of Messi’s closest team-mates, wrote a heartfelt message for the legendary attacker on his Instagram story.
It read: ‘Your unconditional love for our country, your internal battles to never give up, your strength to always endure injustice, your leadership and human qualities with every player who entered the training grounds to make them feel welcome, the thoughtful gestures towards every member of our national team staff…
‘Simply thank you, the greatest of all time , thank you for making us so incredibly happy, you can’t imagine how many smiles you brought to our faces. You are eternal.
Angel Di Maria, Cristian Romero, and many others also relayed their love for their captain on social media.
Another team-mate of Messi’s, Leandro Paredes, who is currently serving a 10-match ban from international football for his antics following the World Cup final, dubbed the former Barcelona star ‘the greatest of all’ in his tribute.
‘Thank you for absolutely everything,’ he wrote. ‘You are and always will be the greatest of all. We love you, captain.’
Messi has previously hinted that he was considering retirement from football following the devastating death of his father, Jorge, who was an integral figure in the career of his legendary son.
Jorge passed away on August 7 following a battle with illness that overshadowed the Argentina captain’s mesmerising World Cup campaign in the United States.
Lionel, who broke down in tears following Argentina’s group stage win over Algeria while Jorge’s health was deteriorating, shared a heartbreaking letter to his father on Instagram at the time – in which he casts doubt over his playing future.
‘Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in yet, or rather, I don’t want to accept it. It’s very difficult for me to imagine never seeing you again, never talking to you again. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together.
‘I don’t know what I’ll do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I only played football and now I have serious doubts that I’ll continue doing that for much longer. You were by my side from the beginning, it was so close to the end. Why couldn’t you hold on that little bit longer and we could have finished together?’
The death of Messi’s father saw an outpouring of emotional tributes from the football world, including from Messi’s first team Newell’s Old Boys, as well as Barcelona and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, whose own father Jose Dinis Aveiro passed away in 2005, passed over ‘much strength’ to Messi in these ‘tough times’.
Messi steps away from international football as one of the most successful to ever play the sport. In his two decades playing for Argentina he won five titles with the national team, including the magical World Cup triumph in Qatar.
The forward netted seven of his 21 goals in the tournament en route to Argentina lifting the trophy, including a brace against France in the final at the Lusail Stadium.
More to follow.
