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Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, 39, announced his retirement from the Albiceleste national team this Monday, explaining: "I've emptied myself, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young guys coming up behind me who deserve to be here."
"After the time that has passed since the final, and having thought about it a lot, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the national team," Messi wrote on his Instagram profile, less than two months after the defeat against Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
The Inter Miami MLS forward explained that "it was a decision that hurt and hurts to the soul," but emphasized that he understands "it is time."
"There is little time left, stages are coming to an end, and this one hurts a lot. I love, have loved, and will always love being on the national team. I've emptied myself, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young guys coming up behind me who deserve to be here," added the footballer, champion with the Albiceleste in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and two-time Copa América champion (2021 and 2024).
Messi, the top scorer in the history of the Argentine national team, emphasized that he is leaving the squad "with the peace of mind and pride" of having given the fans "dream moments."
"I swear to you that I always gave everything, not just the last few years when we won everything, but before that as well, and I always fought and gave my all for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football," he expressed, while thanking Argentines "for all the love over these 20 years."
"Thank you, God, for making me Argentine," concluded the star, who revealed in his post that he wrote this farewell message two days after the World Cup final and noted that, following the death of his father at the beginning of this month, he was fully convinced to leave the national team.
Messi played more than 200 matches with the Albiceleste jersey, scoring 125 goals and registering 68 assists.
[Publicidad]