There are great young players coming up who deserve to be there, he said.
On Monday, Lionel Messi, the 39-year-old soccer player known around the world, announced his permanent retirement from Argentina’s national team.
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Through his Instagram account, where Messi has 4.7 million followers, the Argentine idol revealed that his decision was made just days after the final match of the 2026 World Cup. His lengthy message follows:
“After the time that has passed since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I am retiring from the national team.
It was a decision that hurt and still hurts in my soul, but I understand that the time has come. I swear that I always gave everything, not only in the past few years when we won everything, but before that as well, and I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentine through soccer.
There is little time left, and stages are coming to an end, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being on the national team. I gave everything I had; I have nothing more to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve to be there.
Thank you for all the affection over these 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the inside. Now I will be one of you, always cheering and supporting from the outside, in the good times and the bad, even more so in the bad.
Thank you to my family for always being there, for accompanying me on this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every coach, teammate, and executive I had the chance to share it with. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments that I experienced.
I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you, together with my teammates, dreamlike moments. It was crazy to have lived it with you. I love you!
Thank you, God, for making me Argentine. Let’s go, Argentina!
I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my father, I am more convinced than ever.”
Lionel Messi has RETIRED from the Argentinian National Team!
Thank you for the memories Magicianpic.twitter.com/OPBfphTi90
— Blue frame
(@Blueframe421) August 31, 2026
Argentine Soccer Stars Pay Tribute to Messi After National Team Retirement
On Monday, Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes and other soccer stars paid tribute to Lionel Messi following his announcement that he was retiring from Argentina’s national team.
“We will be grateful to you for the rest of our lives for being Argentine, for having taken Argentina to the top of the world,” Di Maria wrote on his Instagram profile.
He was Messi’s teammate on the national team for nearly 20 years. The current Rosario Central player also highlighted Messi’s decision to wear Argentina’s jersey when he could have chosen to play for Spain.
“For choosing to be Argentine when you could easily have chosen something else. Thank you, captain. Thank you for everything. The greatest in history,” Di Maria added.
Leandro Paredes, who, along with Di Maria and Messi, played in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, also paid tribute to the Inter Miami forward: “Thank you for absolutely everything. You are and always will be the greatest of all. We love you, captain.”
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, Messi’s teammate on Argentina’s national team and at the U.S. club, said: “Only thank you, the greatest in all of history. Thank you for making us so, so happy. You can’t imagine how many smiles you brought out. You are eternal.”
“Your unconditional love for our country, your internal battles to never give up, your strength to always endure injustice, your leadership and humanity with every player who arrived at the training facility so that they would feel welcome, the attention to detail with every worker on our national team,” De Paul added.
Messi was also honored by other national team teammates, including Nicolas Tagliafico, as well as Argentine soccer clubs such as River Plate, which posted an image of a fan holding up the idol’s sky blue and white No. 10 jersey during a club match at Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium.
During his professional career, forward Lionel Messi played more than 200 matches for Argentina’s national team, scoring 125 goals and recording 68 assists.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – Instagram
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