"It hurts my soul": Messi announces his retirement from the Argentine national team

Barcelona"After this time that has passed since the [World Cup] final, after thinking about it a lot, I want to announce to all of you that I am retiring from the national team…", announced Leo Messi in an emotional letter on his personal Instagram account. After two decades defending the colors of the albiceleste, the Argentine star says enough at 39 years old. The full letter continues like this:

"It is a decision that hurts me, that hurts my soul, but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I have always given my all, not only in recent years, when everything was won, but also before, and I have always fought and given my all for this jersey, to give you joy and make you proud to be Argentinians through football. There is little left and stages are closing, and this is one that hurts me a lot. I love, have loved and will always love being part of the national team. I have emptied myself, I have nothing more to give, and besides, very good guys are coming who deserve to be there. Thank you for all the affection of these 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the inside very much. Now I will be one more of you, cheering and always supporting from the outside (in good times and bad, even more so). Thank you to my family for always being there, for accompanying me on this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to each of the coaches, teammates, and directors with whom I have had the pleasure of sharing this path. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments that I have lived. I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you, along with my teammates, dream moments. It was crazy to have lived it with you. I love you!"

The footballer clarifies: "I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my father, I am more convinced than ever." Jorge Messi, his father, died on the night of Friday, August 7, at the age of 68 in a medical clinic in Rosario, the Argentine star's hometown, due to complications in his health condition stemming from a serious illness.

Jorge Messi had been in delicate health for some time. The day the Argentina national team debuted at the World Cup with a victory (3-0) against Algeria, Leo Messi burst into tears after scoring the first goal of the match. After the match, the star explained that he had gone through "a few difficult days" due to a "personal and family" situation, but did not provide further details, beyond thanking the support of the technical staff and his national teammates. After all sorts of speculation, the family then issued a statement confirming that Jorge Messi was ill. Two months later, the footballer's father passed away.

Messi had regained his smile upon returning to playing football at Inter Miami, where he is ending his professional career before returning to Barcelona (where he has acquired UE Cornellà and where his wife, Antonella, has several businesses). With the MLS team, Messi signed a contract extension in October 2025 that links him with the team chaired by David Beckham until 2028 – if the player so wishes – when he will be 41 years old. Now, at 39, he is saying goodbye to the Argentine national team, where he has been through thick and thin and has played 207 matches with the senior team.

Frustration, criticism, and redemption

The trajectory of the former Blaugrana with the Albiceleste has been a long journey of frustrations, criticism, and redemption. He debuted in 2005 and from the outset had to bear the comparison with Diego Armando Maradona, who, in fact, also had him as a coach. Before reaching the pinnacle with Argentina, Messi suffered harsh defeats and cruel criticism for years. While he became the best footballer on the planet with Barça, he saw important titles with Argentina slip away, especially the finals of the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 and 2016 Copa Américas. After losing the 2016 final, he even temporarily announced he was leaving the national team, but returned months later.

The reward would come with the 2021 Copa América, the first major title with the senior Argentina team, followed by the 2022 Finalissima and, above all, the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where he led the team and finally achieved the trophy he had longed for so much. In the last World Cup, this summer, he fell against Spain in the final in what is now his last match with his country's national team.