Lionel Messi ends Argentina career after 207 caps and 125 goals
Why it matters: The 39-year-old leaves as Argentina’s top scorer after six World Cups, a 2022 title and two Copa América crowns.
Lionel Messi retired from international soccer on Monday, ending a 21-year run with Argentina that made him the team’s all-time leader in appearances and goals. Messi, 39, said he wrote the decision on July 21, two days after Argentina’s extra-time loss to Spain in the World Cup final in New Jersey, but waited to publish it. He said the death of his father, Jorge Messi, on Aug. 8 left him “more convinced than before.” Messi finished with 207 caps and 125 goals, including 21 at the World Cup. He won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and helped Argentina capture Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024. He had briefly stepped away from the national team in 2016 before returning.