Lionel Messi announces retirement from international football
(Courtesy :Â Getty)
The Argentine forward lost to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.
Lionel Messi confirmed his retirement from international football with the Argentina national team on Monday.
The Inter Miami forward, who has been in six FIFA World Cups, won the event in Qatar in 2022 and led Argentina to the final in 2026, ultimately losing to Spain.
Lionel Messi confirms his retirement from international football
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Lionel Messi announced his retirement in an official statement made on his Instagram account:
“After all this time since the final match, and after long reflection, I want to announce to everyone that I have decided to retire from playing with the national team,” the caption read.
“It was a painful decision and it still hurts me deep down, but I realise that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave everything I had, not only during the recent years in which we achieved everything, but before that too, and I always fought and gave all I have for this shirt, to make you happy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.
“There is not much left, and the stages have begun to reach their end, and this is one of them that hurts me greatly. I love, I have loved, and I will always love being with the national team. I have exhausted everything I have, and I no longer have any more to give, alongside the presence of a group of wonderful young players who deserve to get their chance.”
“Thank you for all this love over 20 years. I will miss hearing your voices from inside the stadium very much, and now I will become one of you, always supporting and backing the national team from the outside, in good times and bad, and especially in the difficult times,” Messi continued.
“Thank you to my family for always being by my side, and for accompanying me on this very beautiful journey, despite its difficulty. Thank you to every coach, teammate and official I had the chance to share this journey with. I will carry with me unforgettable memories and moments that I lived throughout all this period.
“I leave feeling at ease and proud because, together with my teammates, I gave you moments we had always dreamed of. It was madness to live all of that with you. I love you! Thank God for making me Argentine. Long live Argentina!”
The Argentine skipper is his country’s all-time top goal scorer and most-capped player. Messi has 125 goals in 207 appearances with the national team. He is the most prolific goalscorer in South American football history. Moreover, he also led the national team to FIFA World Cup glory in 2022 in Qatar.
How many trophies did Lionel Messi win with Argentina?
Lionel Messi won four major trophies with La Albiceleste.
How many goals did Lionel Messi score for Argentina?
Lionel Messi has scored 125 goals in 207 caps.
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