Aug. 31, 2026, 11:41 AM EDTLionel Messi has played his last game representing Argentina, the soccer star announced Monday. The 39-year-old Messi’s retirement from the national team comes 20 years after his first appearance and ends a career with La Albiceleste that saw him score 98 goals and add 38 assists in 142 matches. Messi played in six World Cups, winning in 2022, and playing in the 2014 and 2026 finals, as well. He became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history during the most recent tournament this summer with 21 goals, only for France’s Kylian Mbappe to later overtake him with 22 goals. “I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you —together with my teammates — moments we’d only dreamed of,” Messi wrote on social media, in a translation from Spanish. “It was incredible to have lived through it all with you.”Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022.Shaun Botterill / FIFA via Getty Images fileMessi posted that he wrote the announcement of his retirement two days after Argentina’s loss to Spain in July’s World Cup final, and after a pause that included mourning the death of his father, “I’m more convinced than ever” it was time to take off Argentina’s famed blue-and-white striped kit. “It was a decision that hurt—and still hurts—deep in the soul, but I understand that it’s time,” Messi wrote. “I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in recent years, but even before we won everything — and I always fought hard and gave everything I had for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentine through soccer.“There’s not much time left, and chapters are coming to a close —and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being on the national team. I’ve given it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some truly great young players coming up who deserve their spot.“Thank you for all the love over these 20 years. I’m going to miss hearing from you all so much from the sidelines. Now I’ll be just one of you, always cheering and supporting from the sidelines (through the good times and the bad—especially the bad).”Messi continues to play professionally for the MLS club Inter Miami.