August 31, 2026
On Monday, Lionel Messi brought the curtain down on his extraordinary international career, ending a 21-year journey with Argentina that took him from a shy teenager carrying enormous expectations to the country’s most decorated modern footballer.
The 39-year-old announced his retirement from international football, weeks after Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. Messi leaves the national team as its all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances, three major senior international titles and a World Cup triumph.
His departure brings to an end one of the most remarkable and at times, painful international careers in football history. Messi endured four major final defeats before finally winning the 2021 Copa America, followed by the 2022 World Cup and another Copa America title in 2024. He also briefly retired from international football in 2016 after another heartbreaking defeat by Chile, only to return and eventually lead Argentina to its greatest successes in decades.
Here are five defining moments that shaped Messi’s extraordinary Argentina career.
