Lionel Messi Retires From Argentina’s National Team After 20 Years, Citing “Nothing Left to Give”

Lionel Messi, 39, officially announced his retirement from Argentina’s national team on Monday, August 31, in an emotional Instagram post — six weeks after Argentina’s heartbreaking overtime loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, and weeks after the death of his father, Jorge Messi.

After 20 years, six World Cups, and a career that redefined what greatness looks like on a soccer pitch, Lionel Messi has played his last match for Argentina. The 39-year-old superstar confirmed his retirement from international football Monday, closing a chapter that fans across the world hoped might never end.

The Announcement

Messi shared the news in a lengthy, emotional post on Instagram, revealing that he’d actually written the message weeks earlier — on July 21, just two days after Argentina’s gutting 1-0 overtime loss to Spain in the World Cup final.

“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,” Messi wrote. “It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come.”

He was careful to make clear the decision wasn’t about doubting his commitment to the jersey. “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,” he wrote. “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.”

“I Have Nothing Left to Give”

Messi, a father of three — Thiago, 13, Mateo, 10, and Ciro, 8 — with wife Antonela Roccuzzo, made clear that stepping away doesn’t mean his love for the national team has faded.

“I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the National Team,” he continued. “I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.”

A Decision Shaped by Loss

Messi revealed that his father’s death earlier this month played a role in solidifying a decision he’d already been carrying for weeks. Jorge Messi, who had been battling a long illness, died at 68.

“Today, after what happened with my dad, I’m even more convinced than before,” Messi wrote in his Monday post.

A Legacy Without Equal

Messi’s international career is, by nearly every measure, one of the greatest in the sport’s history. He leaves the national team as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals across 207 appearances.

His résumé includes the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar — the crowning achievement of his career — along with two Copa América titles and multiple runner-up finishes, including this summer’s heartbreaking loss to Spain. He is the second-highest goalscorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, trailing only France’s Kylian Mbappé, and sits second all-time in international goals behind longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

At this summer’s World Cup alone, Messi scored eight goals and added four assists, pushing his career World Cup assist total to 12 — ten of which came in knockout-round matches. No other player in World Cup history has more than eight knockout-round assists combined.

Messi’s Argentina debut in 2005 was famously rocky: he entered as a 63rd-minute substitute in a friendly against Hungary and was shown a red card less than a minute later after an elbow connected with a Hungarian defender. He would go on to become the face of Argentine football for two decades.

He briefly retired from international duty once before, in 2016, following a Copa América final loss to Chile in which he missed a penalty. He reversed that decision months later — a reversal that eventually led to the 2022 World Cup triumph that had eluded him for so long.

What’s Next

Messi’s retirement is limited to international play. He will continue his club career with Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer, and he’s already looking ahead to a different role at the next World Cup.

“Now I’ll be just one of you, always cheering and supporting from the sidelines,” he wrote, addressing Argentine fans directly. He added that he’s looking forward to experiencing the 2030 World Cup from the stands.

A Farewell to the Fans

Messi closed his message with gratitude — for his family, his teammates, his coaches, and the fans who followed him for two decades.

“Thank you for all the love over the past 20 years,” he wrote. “I’m going to miss hearing you from the pitch so much. I’m leaving with the peace of mind and pride of having given you, together with my team-mates, moments we’d only dreamed of. It was incredible to have experienced this with you all. I love you! Thank you, God, for making me Argentine.”