Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on Monday, August 31, ending one of the most glorious and legendary careers. The Argentine captain took to social media to share an emotional note, stating that he doesn’t have anything more to give. With this, he put an end to his 20-year long career with Argentina football team that included a World Cup win, two Copa America titles and a record 207 appearances for the team. Messi revealed that he had made his mind since the World Cup 2026 exit, but was sure of it after his father’s death.
Messi announced his decision via his official Instagram account and wrote, “After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the national team.” He added, “It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deeply, but I understand that this is the right time. I swear I always gave everything — not just during the last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave my all for this shirt, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,” Messi added.
Notably, Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005, and led his team to the World Cup win in 2022. His career also included World Cup final defeats in 2014 and again in 2026, when the side lost to Spain.
Netizens Get Emotional as Lionel Messi Calls it Quits on International Career
As soon as Lionel Messi’s post got uploaded, the entire social media was taken by a storm. While it was expected that his father’s death would have a huge impact on his career, fans weren’t expecting him to retire this suddenly. Here’s how they reacted to the news.
The post got over 3 million likes along with 282.5K comments and over 255K reposts within an hour of being uploaded.
