By Ben Efe 31.8.2026
Argentina legend Lionel Messi said he can no longer carry on playing international football.
Writing in a lengthy Instagram post Monday, Messi stated that he would have loved to continue but his legs cannot carry him anymore. He noted that his mind was made up after the final of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, which Messi badly wanted to win for his late dad, but Spain emerged champions.
The 39-year-old Messi, worth $1.1 billion is widely considered the greatest football player of all time, won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina, bringing the title back to the country for the first time since 1986.
Messi is the most capped Argentina player with 207 appearances, in which he scored 125, another all-time record. With Messi as captain, Argentina also won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024.
At Barcelona he won the Champions League four times and had ten LaLiga titles to his credit in a 15-year career period. In 2021 he said a painful goodbye to the Catalan club and moved to Paris St Germain after two seasons, he joined David Beckhams Inter Miami, where he would likely spend the rest of his playing days in club football.
“After giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the National Team,” Messi wrote.
“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love to be being part of the National Team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.
“Thank you for all the affection over these past 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the pitch so much. Now I’ll be just one of you, cheering and supporting from the outside (through the good times and the bad—especially the bad).”
