Sports · 31 August, 2026 · 3 min read
Lionel Messi Announces Retirement From Argentina National Team
Messi announced retirement from Argentina national team via Instagram after final defeat to Spain. He is 39 years old at retirement.
49outlets compared
Whether Messi’s prior 2016 retirement decision mattered to the narrative.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: handwritten notebook pages were shown in the retirement announcement.
The divide
tap a side to read it in full
BBC
“the world was almost denied his most successful period in the famous blue and white shirt.”Read the original ↗
ABC News
“Messi shared on Instagram that he first wrote his goodbye message in July, shortly after Argentina lost the World Cup title.”Read the original ↗
BBC foregrounds 2016 context; ABC anchors on the recent farewell timeline.
Messi ends Argentina stint
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on Monday, saying he will no longer play for the national team.
“Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer on Monday”
In a message shared on Instagram, Messi wrote in Spanish, "After the time that has passed since the final, thinking about it a lot, I want to communicate to everyone that I am retiring from the national team," and he added, "It was a decision that hurt and hurts my soul, but I understand that this is the moment."
ABC News said Messi last played for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, where the team lost in the finals to Spain, 2-1.A
The ABC News report also said the 39-year-old continues to play professional soccer as a forward for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, where he has played since 2023.A
ABC News reported that Messi first wrote his goodbye message in July, shortly after Argentina lost the World Cup title, and that less than one month later, on Aug. A8, Messi's father, Jorge, died, which Messi said reinforced his decision to retire.
A decade that almost
The BBC described Messi’s international retirement as the end of a run that began with a first retirement U-turn, after he decided on Sunday, 26 June 2016, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that "For me, the national team is over. BI've done all I can."
The BBC said that after 113 appearances, Messi was adamant he would never pull on an Argentina shirt again, and it quoted him saying, "It hurts not to be a champion."B
The BBC then said that over the subsequent 10 years, Messi played a further 94 times and scored another 70 goals for Argentina, lifting four major trophies.B
In the BBC’s account, criticism from Diego Maradona resurfaced as Messi departed, with Maradona saying, "He lacks the character to be a leader."
The BBC also quoted Spanish football expert and Messi biographer Guillem Balague saying, "Leo goes really down when he loses," and it described the pressure of being captain and the "Maradona thing" as part of why Messi considered leaving in 2016.B
What comes next for
CNN said Messi’s retirement announcement came as Argentina’s national team career included one World Cup trophy in 2022, two runners-up medals in 2014 and 2026, and Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024.
“"After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the National Team,"”
CNN also said Messi’s statement on Instagram included, "After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the National Team," and it reported he thanked fans for the love shown during the 2026 World Cup run in North America.
CNN reported that Messi was coming off the World Cup final loss to Spain and that, "Then, at the start of this month, Messi suffered true heartbreak with the loss of his father," Jorge Messi.
The BBC said Messi retires as Argentina's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, and it described his retirement as the conclusion of a period that included World Cup glory at Qatar 2022 and Copa America triumphs in 2021 and 2024.B
In the ABC News account, Messi’s retirement leaves him continuing club football with Inter Miami CF, where he has played since 2023, as the next chapter closes for Argentina’s captain and all-time leading goal scorer.