Lionel Messi has retired from international football after more than two decades with Argentina, bringing an end to a record-breaking career that produced World Cup glory, three major international trophies and 125 goals for his country.
The 39-year-old, who is contracted to Inter Miami until 2028, announced his decision on Instagram on Monday. His statement followed the death of his father, Jorge, earlier this month, after which Messi said he was uncertain whether he would continue playing football.
In an emotional tribute to his father, he said: “I don’t know how to carry on. I used to just play football, and now I’m really not sure if I’ll carry on doing it for much longer.”
He later confirmed his international retirement, writing: “Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply.”
Messi finishes as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances. Across his club and international career, he scored 921 goals for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina.
His career included extraordinary individual records, spectacular goals and moments of deep emotion.
The emergence of a superstar
Messi announced himself on the biggest stage of Spanish football when he scored his first hat-trick in Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Real Madrid on 10 March 2007.
Aged 19, he scored all three of Barcelona’s goals at Camp Nou, completing the treble with a late finish after weaving past defenders. It was his first hat-trick and the performance that established him as a household name.
Only five weeks later, he produced a goal that invited comparisons with Diego Maradona’s famous effort for Argentina against England at the 1986 World Cup.
In a 5-2 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg win against Getafe on 18 April 2007, Messi collected the ball in his own half, eliminated about five opponents, rounded the goalkeeper and finished. It remains one of the outstanding solo goals of his career.
Records and Champions League landmarks
Questions about whether Messi could perform against English opposition disappeared in the 2009 Champions League final.
After failing to score in his previous 10 Champions League appearances against Premier League sides, he headed in Xavi’s cross against Manchester United. It was Messi’s first Champions League final and the first major meeting to be presented as a contest between him and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi scored against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side again in the 2011 final, helping him claim the third of his four Champions League winners’ medals.
He scored four goals in Barcelona’s 4-1 home victory over Arsenal in the 2010 Champions League quarter-final. The highlight was a delicate chip over goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to complete his hat-trick. Two years later, he scored five times in a 7-1 last-16 win against Bayer Leverkusen.
Messi is the second-highest scorer in Champions League history with 129 goals, behind Ronaldo.
His first major Barcelona scoring record fell on 20 March 2012, when a hat-trick in a 5-3 win against Granada took him beyond Cesar Rodriguez’s 232 goals. He equalled the 60-year-old mark with his first goal, broke it with his second and extended it with his third. By the time he left Barcelona in 2021, he had scored 672 goals for the club.
In 2012, Messi also set a record that seemed almost impossible to comprehend. He scored his 91st goal of the calendar year in Barcelona’s 3-1 win at Real Valladolid on 22 December, earning recognition in the Guinness Book of Records.
He scored 79 times for Barcelona and 12 times for Argentina in 69 appearances, a total that earned him a then-unprecedented fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or. His return for the season was remarkable despite Barcelona winning only the Copa del Rey in 2012.
Another hat-trick, in a 5-1 win against Sevilla on 22 November 2014, made Messi La Liga’s record scorer. He matched Athletic Club forward Telmo Zarra’s total of 251 with a free-kick before surpassing it with his second and third goals. Messi eventually finished with 474 La Liga goals, well ahead of Ronaldo’s 311 for Real Madrid.
Barcelona farewell and international glory
One of his most memorable celebrations came in a 3-2 victory at Real Madrid on 23 April 2017. Messi scored in injury time with a first-time finish from the edge of the area to claim his 500th Barcelona goal, win the El Clasico and move his team to the top of the table. Real Madrid eventually won the league that season.
Messi then removed his shirt and held it up towards the Bernabeu supporters, displaying his name and number in one of football’s most recognisable celebrations.
The end of his 21-year Barcelona stay was far more painful. In August 2021, he left on a free transfer after 672 goals and 35 trophies. Barcelona could not honour the new contract they had agreed with Messi because of La Liga’s salary limit.
Shedding tears at an emotional news conference, Messi said: “My family and I were convinced we were going to stay here, at home.
“I don’t want to leave this club – it’s a club I love and this is a moment I didn’t expect.”
Although he had been linked with Manchester City, Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain.
With Argentina, his breakthrough international success arrived on 11 July 2021, when he helped his country beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final at the Maracana. He was named player of the tournament after scoring four goals, then fell to the ground at the final whistle before being lifted into the air by his team-mates.
He won a second Copa America three years later.
The prize that had eluded him
The World Cup was the achievement that had previously been used against Messi in arguments over the greatest footballer of all time. He had briefly retired from international football before returning, but finally lifted the trophy in 2022.
Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw in a final widely regarded as the best World Cup final ever. Messi scored twice, converted in the shootout and was named player of the tournament after scoring seven goals, including one in every knockout round.
He later claimed a record eighth Ballon d’Or. Two of those awards came after his Barcelona departure, one while he was at Paris Saint-Germain and the other as an Inter Miami player.
His latest award, in October 2023, followed Argentina’s World Cup triumph and Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup success, the club’s first trophy.
Messi said: “I couldn’t imagine having the career I’ve had and everything I’ve achieved, the fortune I’ve had to be part of the best team in history.”
He added: “All of them [Ballon d’Or awards] are special for different reasons.”
At the 2026 World Cup, now his final tournament, Messi scored eight goals to take his World Cup total to 21. That briefly made him the competition’s leading scorer, before Mbappe moved to 22 in the Bronze Final defeat by England.
Aged 39, Messi’s final World Cup ended in disappointment when Argentina lost to Spain in the final. Individually, however, it provided one more unforgettable month from a player whose influence has defined modern football.
