'I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,' he wrote in a heartfelt social media post on August 31.

'I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,' he wrote in a heartfelt social media post on August 31.

'I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,' he wrote in a heartfelt social media post on August 31.

Lionel Messi announced on Monday that he was hanging up the Argentina jersey—that he was retiring from the world of international football on Monday.

This comes years after being widely recognised for 'completing football' by leading the Argentina football team to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, followed by a Copa America win in 2024 and a stellar performance in the 2026 World Cup.

"I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football," he wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post on Monday.

Time is running short and chapters are closing, and this is one that hurts me deeply ... I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are amazing young players coming up behind me who deserve to be here ... I leave with the peace of mind and the pride of having given you, together with my teammates, dreamlike moments. It was incredible to have lived it with you. I love you guys!" he added, thanking everyone involved in his 21-year-old international football career.

The 39-year-old’s final appearance for Argentina was the team's loss to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the sixth of his career. The tournament also saw him become only the third player (after Brazil’s Cafu) to appear in three or more men’s World Cup finals.

This comes after Messi had expressed doubts about continuing his international career “for much longer” after the August 8 death of his father and long-time manager, Jorge.

The Lionel Scaloni-led Argentina now faces the uphill task of rebuilding the team's chemistry and tactics that had been centred on Messi, ahead of the Copa America in 2028, as well as the next edition of the FIFA World Cup in 2030.

Despite the loss to Spain in the July final of the 2026 World Cup, Messi ended the tournament with eight goals and four assists, finishing second in the Golden Boot race behind France’s Kylian Mbappe, as well as the Silver Ball award after Spain's Rodri received the Golden Ball.

In all, the widely recognised best player of all time hangs up his Argentine jersey with 207 appearances and 125 goals for the Albiceleste thus far.

However, his club career with MLS team Inter Miami continues strongly, with the 39-year-old even netting four goals to lead his team to victory against CF Montreal on Saturday. 

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