Lionel Messi Retires from International Football
Lionel Messi is known as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, regarded by many to be the best to ever play. On August 31, 2026, this all time great announced his retirement from international soccer after playing for the Argentina national team for 21 years.
The announcement came shortly after the 2026 World Cup final where Argentina lost against Spain, preventing them from winning the World Cup twice in a row.
Messi’s retirement only includes international soccer, so Messi will continue to play club football for Inter Miami in the MLS (Major League Soccer).
Across all 207 of his national team appearances, Messi became the all time leading goal scorer with a staggering 125 goals in addition to 65 assists, the most in international soccer.
Despite leaving the team after a loss, Messi still has one of the most productive and decorated careers in international soccer. However, Messi’s career on the Argentina team was not always so successful.
Being adorned with the number 10, Messi was constantly compared to other Argentina World Cup winner and soccer legend, Diego Maradona. Messi felt a lot of pressure to replicate the success of Maradona, especially due to Argentina’s recent struggles to win major tournaments.
Messi hit his lowest point with the team between 2014 and 2016. Argentina reached the final of the 2014 World Cup but lost to Germany, and went on to also suffer losses in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America Finals with Messi missing a penalty in the 2016 Final’s penalty shootout.
Following the 2015 Copa America loss against Chile, Messi announced that he would be retiring from international football. However, he would return to the team a couple of months later, stating that his “love for the country,” brought him back on the field as well as refusing to sit and watch the Argentinian team without supporting them.
It wasn’t until 2021, when Messi and the rest of the Argentinian team would start one of their most historic runs starting with winning the Copa America final against Brazil, lifting their first international trophy in 28 years and Messi’s first trophy earned for the national team.
In the next year he would go on to win the Finalissima (a match played between the winner of the Copa America and the winner of the Euro’s) against Italy.
Later that same year in the 2022 World Cup, Messi would lead the Argentinian team to the final against France, the previous champions and the team who eliminated Argentina in the 2018 World Cup. In a dramatic match, Argentina would win in a penalty shootout, winning their first World Cup since Maradona won it in 1986.
Messi had now won every international trophy available to him, and the perception of Messi in Argentina changed. Rather than being compared to Maradona as a reminder of what he had failed to achieve, he was now celebrated and put alongside him and an Argentina legend.
The Argentina team continued to show success by winning the 2024 Copa America, overcoming Colombia in the finals and giving Messi his second Copa America title.
Then came the 2026 World Cup. The idea of winning a consecutive World Cup title was a highly coveted one especially due to its rarity. Only two teams, Brazil and Italy, have ever successfully defended the title, the last time happening in 1962 with Brazil.
Messi, now 39, helped Argentina reach another World Cup final. Despite losing to Spain, Messi finished as the second top scorer in the tournament with 8 goals, just two goals behind 27 year old Kylian Mbappe, an incredible feat for a player of his age.
However Messi’s decision to retire from international soccer appears to stem from more than just the loss at the finals. The recent death of his father, Jorge Messi, reportedly also influenced Messi’s decision to leave the team.
Messi’s retirement marks the end of an era for Argentinian soccer. For over 20 years, the team was built around Messi and now must learn to move forward without their captain and one of their most important players. Argentinian player Nico Paz, is rumored to take on Messi’s iconic number 10 jersey but there is no confirmation about who will replace Messi as captain, although Nicolas Otamendi and Cristian Romero are rumored to be top candidates.
Without Messi, the Argentinian team will now need to find its own identity with its other talented players and young prospects.
“It’s kinda tricky for me to tell where Argentina will adapt without him since he was the gameplan. But I see players like Dybala, Nico Paz, and Julian Alavrez becoming a focal point in the team, with Dybala and De Paul taking more of an experienced vet role or Dibu Martinez becoming captain as well. I think Argentina will utilize players who have some parts of Messi’s skill sets,” said junior from the School for Advanced Studies North Campus, Brandon Higgs.
Messi’s international career may be over, but his legacy and the mark he left on soccer is far from forgotten. An undeniably amazing player, Lionel Messi’s career will always be held close to the people of Argentina and his fans. Soccer fans everywhere will miss watching him on the pitch and will remember the one who is arguably the greatest of all time.
“It’s honestly a very sad loss, not only to the team, but to the sport as a whole. His retirement is the end of an era and I will always miss watching him. He’s one of my favorite players of all time and the greatest to ever play,” said freshman Nicolas Sanchez.
