Lionel Messi Ends Argentina Career After 207 Appearances

Lionel Messi has retired from international football, ending a 21-year Argentina career in which he became his country’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer. BBC Sport reported that the 39-year-old announced his decision on Monday, saying the end of his international career was painful but that the time had come to step aside.

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Messi finishes with 125 goals in 207 Argentina appearances. He captained the national team to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar and also won two Copa America trophies. His international scoring total is second only to Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, while his 21 World Cup goals leave him one behind France forward Kylian Mbappe.

According to the BBC report, Messi wrote his retirement message on July 21, two days after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. He published the message after the death of his father, Jorge, who died at 68 following a long illness. Messi said that family loss had reinforced a decision he had already made.

The forward contributed eight goals and four assists at the 2026 World Cup. His final tournament lifted his career World Cup assist total to 12, including 10 in knockout matches. Despite Argentina falling short in the final, those figures extended a record built across multiple editions of the competition.

Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2005 as a substitute during a 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary. That first appearance lasted less than a minute before he was sent off, but he went on to establish the national-team records for caps and goals. He previously announced his international retirement after Argentina’s 2016 Copa America final defeat by Chile, then reversed that decision.

His playing career will continue in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. BBC Sport said Messi remains under contract with the club through the end of the 2028 season. In his retirement message, he thanked Argentina supporters for their backing over two decades and said he would now follow the national team from the sidelines, closing the international chapter of his career while remaining active at club level.