By: Lydia Liu

Sports Editor

After 21 years on Argentina’s national team, Lionel Messi has officially announced the end to his international career. The declaration came after Argentina’s devastating 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, marking the conclusion of one of the longest careers in modern international soccer.

Messi joined Argentina’s senior team in 2005 at just 18 years old. Since then, he has represented the country in numerous World Cups and Copa América tournaments. He also eventually became the team’s captain and all-time leading scorer with 125 goals.

However, Messi faced years of disappointment before achieving his greatest successes.  Argentina came close to an international title several times during Messi’s early years, but ultimately fell short. The team lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and then suffered consecutive Copa América final defeats in 2015 and 2016. The losses were particularly difficult for Messi, who faced criticism for Argentina’s inability to win a major championship. Although he briefly took a break from soccer following the 2016 Copa América final, he returned later that year.

The break sparked significant growth for his mindset, skills, and technique. Argentina won the 2021 Copa América by defeating Brazil, giving Messi his first major international championship with the senior national team. Messi played all seven matches, scoring four goals and providing five assists, making him both the tournament’s joint-leading scorer and leading assist provider. His contributions helped Argentina advance, including a goal against Ecuador in the quarterfinals, before defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final. The victory ended years of debate over whether Messi could succeed on the international stage.

The following year brought an even greater achievement for Messi and the team. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina faced France in the final. After the teams remained tied 3-3 through extra time, Argentina won in an intense penalty shootout. Messi scored twice and during the shootout as well, securing the World Cup title that had remained one of the few major accomplishments he hadn’t achieved yet. Just two years later, Messi added another major international title to his career, leading Argentina to a 1-0 victory over Colombia in the 2024 Copa América final.

Despite the final result in 2026, Messi leaves behind an extensive record with Argentina. His accomplishments include becoming the country’s leading scorer while additionally earning numerous individual and team honors. Messi’s retirement applies only to international soccer, as he still plans to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Messi is also expanding his role beyond playing, reaching an agreement to purchase Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, allowing him to remain involved in soccer through investments and player development. 

Argentina now faces the task of moving forward without the athlete who has defined its national team for much of the past two decades. With Messi’s departure, Argentina will rely more heavily on its younger players moving forward.

(Sources: FIFA, Reuters, and AS)