Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team.
Messi posted on his Instagram account, announcing his retirement. Here is what he posted:
“After all this time that has passed since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to let everyone know that I’m retiring from the national team…
“It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts, deep in my soul, but I understand that the time has come. I swear I always gave everything I had – not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you joy and make vou feel proud to be Argentine through football.
“There isn’t much time left and chapters are starting to come to an end. This is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved and always will love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had. I have nothing more to give, and there are also some incredible young players coming through who deserve to be here.
“Thank you for all the love you’ve shown me over these 20 years. I’m going to miss hearing you from inside the stadium so much. Now I’lI be one of you, cheering and supporting the team from the outside – through the good times and the bad, even more so through the bad.
“Thank you to my family for always being there and for accompanying me on this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every coach, teammate and director I had the chance to share it with. I leave with unforgettable memories and moments that I’ll carry with me forever.
“I leave with the peace of mind and pride of knowing that, together with my teammates, we were able to give you moments we had only dreamed of. It was Crazy to experience all of it with you. I love you all!”
The most emotional moment for me as a fan. When maradona retired I never thought there would be any Argentina player close to him. But then came Messi and the rest is history. I don’t know if there will ever be an Argentina player who will share the same legacy of Diego and Messi.
2026 world cup Leo exceeded the expectations of millions of fans; reaching 3 world cup finals as captain winning one world cup is biggest achievement at international level. ( Yes Pele won 3 but in the modern football era level of competitiveness is very high).
He has achieved everything one can dream as a footballer.
With Messi retirement I will continue to support Argentina. However one I will never forget is the hate mongers who spread fake conspiracies to the extent of labelling Messi as a Zionist. Cristiano Ronaldo liking conspiracy post made him look petty. All the hate campaign directed at Messi and Argentina is unforgivable. Even after Messi retired Cr7 fans are shamelessly attacking Messi. The little respect I had for cristiano got lost.
Nevertheless thank you Leo for everything. The world will miss you.
Dear Leo,
I’m writing this from a small corner of the world, thousands of miles away from the bright lights of Camp Nou or the passionate stands of La Bombonera. I’m in Nepal, a country nestled in the shadows of the Himalayas. For me…and for millions like me here-you were never just a player. You were a religion.
I still remember the first time I saw you play. It wasn’t on a big screen or in a packed stadium. It was on a small, flickering television in a tea shop in Kathmandu, surrounded by strangers who quickly became friends as we watched you weave through defenders like they were mere shadows. In that moment, you weren’t just an Argentine from Rosario. You were ours.
You taught us that greatness doesn’t come from height or strength-it comes from heart. You showed us that a boy who struggled with growth hormone deficiency could grow into the greatest giant football has ever seen. Every time you picked up the ball, you reminded us that dreams don’t have passports.
Through the heartbreaks…the missed penalty in 2016, the World Cup final defeats…we cried with you. Through the triumphs…that magical night in Qatar in 2022, when you finally lifted the trophy we all knew you deserved-we celebrated like it was our own victory. Because in a way, it was.
Here in Nepal, we don’t have the best pitches or the best facilities. But we have passion. And you gave us hope that anything is possible. You were the reason we stayed up until 2 AM, the reason we argued with our friends about who the real GOAT was, the reason we painted your face on walls and wore your shirt like armor.
And now, you’re hanging up your boots. It feels like the end of an era-not just for football, but for all of us who grew up watching you. You were the constant in a world that kept changing. The one who made us believe in magic.
But as you take your final bow, I want you to know: you didn’t just leave behind goals and trophies. You left behind millions of hearts, beating in unison, grateful for every dribble, every pass, every moment of brilliance.
Thank you, Leo. For the memories. For the tears. For the joy. For reminding us that no matter where we come from, we can all reach the stars.
We may never see another like you. But your legacy will live on-from the streets of Buenos Aires to the valleys of Nepal, and everywhere in between.
Adiós, capitán. Adiós, Leo.
With all my love and respect,
A fan from Nepal
Definitely the end of the best era in the history of Argentina NT. The older generations had problems to succeed on both WC and Copa America. So was with Di Stefano, Maradona… Here multimedalist as never before – gold and 2 silver coins of WC. 2 golds, 3 silvers, 1 bronze of Copa. Gold of Olympic Games, gold of U-20 WC. Plus insurmountable individual records caps/goals. It takes some guts to do this after his best goalscoring WC but he knows it’s the only rational and non-egoistic decision right nowwhile catching the ‘kairos’ moment when you are still at World Champion competitive level but at the same time undoubtedly on the descending other side of your akme. He simply cannot add to this anything more. Now Argentina just needs to move on.
Enzo’s red card ruined the World Cup final. I strongly believe Argentina could have taken the game to penalties if they had stayed at 11 men. Spain deserved to win though.
And to Messi: “I have nothing more to give.” Sorry, Leo, but now you have to give all three of your sons to the Albiceleste!
I hope they eventually join La Masia and continue to develop their football there.
End of an era, this hit more than I expected even though we kind of knew it was coming.
Thank you Leo for all the moments of joy you gave to us all, you will always be remembered as the best ever to wear the jersey. We love you and will appreciate and cherish you forever!
adios messi , i was very lucky to watch you live in the flesh for argentina ! thank you for all the joy you gave us , i doubt we will see another you ..today i feel very sad because the last page has turned on your illustrious career for the albiceleste . . Thank you !
Thank you Leo, for keeping the beautiful game alive for so long.
Cant believe my childhood has ended today. Leo pls even if u retires stay close to football always and thanks for everything
Thank You BOSS for making our dreams come true, thank you for ALL.THE MEMORIES, thank you for the fight passion and grit, thank you for the great times and bad, Like Maradona before you, we will always love you.
As expected, now we start fresh, younger faster and talented Albiceleste🇦🇷💙✊️
Thank you Leo..for the all happiness you gave to us since 17 years old…I watched you from there till end.. tears 💔
The child inside me feels like it died today.
Seeing Messi in my favourite national team jersey has been literally everything a fan could have ever asked for. Thank you, Messiah…
Some chapters don’t just end — they take a piece of us with them.
Sharing what I put in my FB post before the finals..:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19FMDpsD1Y/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Tomorrow, it will come to an end.
My love for Argentina began in 1986, Like so many others, I followed El Pibe de Oro and believed I would never see his kind again.
Then, in 2005, after dinner one evening, a British journalist spoke of a teenager. Not another “next Maradona,” he insisted, but really special. Something rare. So, I started watching the U-20 World Cup, the next day.
And for the next twenty years, I never really looked away.
I have watched him in crowded stadiums and quiet living rooms, in finals that stopped the world and friendlies that meant little to anyone else. I have watched through the seasons of my own life—through change, success, disappointment, uncertainty, and joy.
And somehow, there he always was.
On dark days, when hope felt distant and the world seemed heavier than usual, I would turn on the television and watch a small man remind me that beauty still existed. That imagination still mattered. That, impossible things could still happen.
Not because he won.
But because of the way he played.
Like a poet unconcerned with the score of the poem.
There was resilience in every setback. Grace in every victory. Silence in every roar of the crowd. And woven through it all, an unmistakable kind of magic—the sort that appears once in a generation and leaves before you are ready.
I wanted to be in Qatar in 2022. I couldn’t.
I could have been there this time, but I didn’t believe history would grant us another chapter.
Yet here we are.
On the edge of what feels like the final page.
And perhaps that is why it hurts a little already.
Because endings are the price we pay for having witnessed something extraordinary.
In an age of highlights, reels, and endless scrolling, I hope people will remember that greatness was never contained in the clips. It lived in the spaces between them—in the patience, the persistence, the failures, the tears, the comebacks, and the thousands of moments that became a life’s work.
Whatever happens tomorrow, the result will fade.
The memories will not.
The slaloms through impossible crowds.
The impossible passes.
The quiet humility.
One day the stadiums will empty, the boots will be hung up, and the game will move on as it always does.
But somewhere, for those of us lucky enough to have watched, there will forever be a green rectangle illuminated by a little No. 10, moving through time as if gravity were merely a suggestion.
And every time we remember, for a brief moment, the world will feel a little lighter.
This was never just football.
It was joy. It was wonder. It was hope.
Gracias, Leo.
VAMOS⚽️💙🤍 🇦🇷
We extend our gratitude to Lionel Messi, whose contributions will forever be etched in Argentina’s history. His international career has been marked by unparalleled success.
Such a sad day! I’m just grateful for how amazing Messi has been for all these years. And all that he has won for Argentina. It’s going to be strange watching the national team without him.
Thank you for the glorious memories. You persevered and finally delivered happiness to millions of Argentines and Albiceleste supporters worldwide. Much Gracias El Capitan del Muchachos.
Now let the new era begin. I hope Scaloni takes the same honorable road. I think he too has given his all and I don’t think he has much more to offer, as we saw at the WC. With the new generation of players, the team needs a new approach and a new mindset.
If Sabella leaves, I hope it’s a smooth transition. I hope he has a successor ready so that the national team can keep their winning ways. Because we have an amazing team.
Sabella is no more. Getting emotional won’t change the football fact that Argentina had 0 shots on target in the final or picking players for past reputation. Barco, Senesi, Simeoneand Palacios who had better seasons to RDP, Enzo and Macca were barely used and you seriously want to think that being predictable like that approach is going to keep us winning, going forward? Scaloni is best coach in history but his tactics are predictable by now.
Thank you so much for everything Messi.