Lionel Messi on Monday announced his retirement from the Argentina national team in a lengthy, emotional note on social media. But right at the bottom of the Instagram post was a note saying the announcement was originally intended to be made two days after the FIFA World Cup 2026 final in New Jersey, but he delayed it until August 31.
The 39-year-old, who made his debut for La Albiceleste in 2005, brought down the curtains on his 21-year career with the Argentina national team, with whom he won two Copa Américas and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, his crowning moment in football, labelled as the day ‘Messi completed football.’
Four years after his greatest-ever achievement, Messi and Argentina had the chance to script a historic double. However, the defending champions were outplayed and outsmarted in their 0-1 loss to Spain, where Ferran Torres broke the deadlock in the 106th minute to hand La Roja their second World Cup crown.
Heartbroken by the loss, Messi had contemplated retirement from international football right then. In his note on Monday, he revealed that the entire note was penned on July 21, two days after the final. However, he waited to make the announcement, with his father, Jorge Messi, facing health issues that eventually claimed his life. Jorge died on August 8, aged 68. Messi indicated that it made him even more certain about the decision.
“I wrote these words on July 21st, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before,” he wrote.
Messi had capped off a sensational World Cup campaign in North America, where he scored eight goals and provided four assists. He finished second in the Golden Boot race, behind France’s Kylian Mbappé, and won the Silver Ball, finishing second to Golden Ball award-winner Rodri.
During the tournament, he even scored his first-ever World Cup hat-trick en route to becoming the top scorer in the history of the tournament, surpassing Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16), and the first-ever to the 20-goal mark. However, the glory was short-lived, as Mbappé’s double in the third-place play-off against England saw the France captain move to 22 total World Cup goals.
The 2026 World Cup was also his sixth — the joint-most editions played in by any player at the men’s tournament alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. He also featured in three tournament finals — 2014, 2022 and 2026. He remains the only player in World Cup history to win the Golden Ball twice — in 2014 and 2022.
Messi ended his Argentina career as the national team’s most prolific goalscorer, with 125 goals in 207 appearances (record).
