Argentina's Lionel Messi after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. AFPShow caption: Argentina's Lionel Messi after winning the 2022 World Cup in…Veteran attacker calls time on international career after captaining South Americans to one World Cup and two Copa America crownsArgentina legend Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 39.Messi says he made the call two days after Argentina's loss to Spain in July's World Cup final and was “even more convinced of this decision” after the recent loss of his father.Messi made 207 appearances for his country, scoring 125 goals, winning one World Cup and two Copa America crowns.“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team. It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment,” Messi said in a post on Instagram.“I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you happiness and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.“There isn’t much time left, and different chapters are coming to an end. This is one that hurts me a lot. I love, I loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had, and I don’t have anything more to give.”Messi made his Argentina debut against Hungary in a 2005 friendly at the age of 18, scoring his first goal against Croatia less than a year late in what was his sixth appearance.His first international silverware, though, did not arrive until 2021 when he was aged 34, with Argentina defeating Brazil in the Copa America final at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Messi was named player of the tournament as Argentina ended a 28-year wait for a major trophy.“I needed to remove from myself the thorn of achieving something with the national team,” said Messi after the win. “The happiness is immense … many times I dreamt of this.More to follow …Updated: August 31, 2026, 3:52 PM