By admin 
The day soccer fans suspected was coming finally arrived: Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on Monday morning after two decades in the iconic sky blue and white No. 10 jersey.
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The announcement did not come as a surprise, as there had long been speculation that the 2026 World Cup would be the last for Messi, who is 39 years old and would be 43 at the next World Cup.
As expected, his final appearance for Argentina was the World Cup Final loss to Spain. It was Messi’s sixth World Cup, and he became only the second player in tournament history (along with Brazil’s Cafu) to appear in three men’s World Cup finals.
Messi scored eight goals in the recent World Cup, finishing second to France’s Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race and was a big reason Argentina reached the championship match. He also won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 and led the Albiceleste to back-to-back trophies at the Copa América in 2021 and 2024. He retires with 125 goals in 207 matches for Argentina.
Messi made his announcement on Instagram Monday in a heartfelt letter he said he wrote on 21 July, two days after the World Cup final, adding that the death last month of his father, Jorge, confirmed to him that it was right time to step away from the national team.
He will continue to play for Inter Miami. He is the team captain and his contract runs through the 2028 MLS season. He scored four goals in a 7-1 win against CF Montreal over the weekend and leads the league with 18 goals scored.
Here is the full text of Messi’s international retirement letter:
“After the time that passed since the final, thinking about it a lot, I want to communicate to everyone that I am retiring from the national team…
“It was a decision that hurt and hurts in the soul, but I understand that this is the moment. I promise you that I always gave everything, not just in the last few years when we won everything but before as well and I always fought and left everything on the field for this shirt, to give you all joy and make you feel proud to be Argentines through soccer
“There’s little time left, stages of your career close, and this one hurts me a lot. I love, I loved and I always will love being in the national team. I gave my all, I don’t have anything left to give and beyond that really great young players are coming who deserve to be there.
“Thank you for all the love in these 20 years. I’m going to miss hearing you from inside. Now, I’ll be one more of you, supporting and backing always from the outside (in the good times and even more in the bad).
“Thank you to my family for always being there, for accompanying me on this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every one of the coaches, teammates and directors I crossed paths with. I take memories and unforgettable moments experienced with me.
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“I am going with the peace and pride of having, along with my teammates, given you moments you dreamed about. It was nuts to experience them with you. I love you.
“Thank you God for making me Argentine.¡Vamos Argentina!
“* These are the words I wrote July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my father, I’m more convinced than before.”
Reaction to the news poured in from all over the world.
Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s teammate with Argentina and Inter Miami, posted on social media: “Your unconditional love for our country, your internal battles to never give up, your strength to always endure injustices, and your leadership and humanity with every player who entered the national team headquarters to feel at ease, and your attention to detail with every member of our national team…
“Just thank you, you are the greatest in history. Thank you for making us so, so happy, you can’t imagine how many smiles you gave us. You are immortal.”
Argentina teammate Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United wrote: “A truly great sadness, no one ever prepares for things like this, but from the bottom of my heart: thank you!! You are my role model, and everyone’s. A winner in football and a winner in life!! My daughter will be so proud that her father shared a team with an exceptional human being. You are the greatest athlete in history, and as for football, honestly, there is no comparison. I love you so much.”
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, another Argentina teammate, wrote a long tribute that included these passages: “I was just a kid, and I used to compare your age with mine to see if one day I might get the chance to play with you. It sounds silly, but I really did it. I’d think about how many years you might have left, how many years I still needed to reach the first division, and I dreamed that, even if it was only once, we could wear the Argentina shirt together.
“Today, it’s hard for me to imagine the next training camp without you. Walking onto the pitch and not seeing you up front, wearing the No. 10. After so many years of seeing you there, it feels impossible to imagine it any other way.
“How lucky I was, Leo. How lucky that kid was, the one who used to do those calculations without knowing if he would ever make it in time. Thank you for treating me the way you did, for everything you taught me, and for allowing me to share a part of your story.
“We’re going to miss you so much, captain.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2026 at 9:34 AM with the headline “Messi announces retirement from Argentina national team. What it means for Inter Miami.”
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