🚨 Lionel Messi announces his international retirement! | OneFootball

A thunderbolt on the football planet!

Lionel Messi has just announced his international retirement on his Instagram account this Monday evening!

La Pulga will no longer wear the Argentina shirt, so the 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final last July will go down as the final match of his international career.

207 caps, 125 goals, 68 assists; one World Cup, two Copa América titles: Lionel Messi says goodbye to his country as an absolute, untouchable legend.

21 years after his very first cap, the number 10 brings one of the most memorable chapters in football history to a close.

Lionel Messi’s statement:

"Today, after what happened to my father, I am even more convinced than before.

After all this time since the final, after thinking about it a lot, I want to announce to everyone that I am retiring from international football…

It is a decision that hurt me and still hurts me deep inside, but I understand that the time has come. I swear that I have always given everything. Not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentine through football.

There is little time left and the chapters are gradually closing. This one is particularly painful for me. I love, I have loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I have given everything I had, I have nothing left to give, and behind me are some great young players who deserve to be there.

Thank you for all the love you have given me over these 20 years. Hearing your support from the inside is something I will miss tremendously. From now on, I will be one of you, cheering on and supporting the team from the outside, in good times and bad, and even more so in the bad times.

Thank you to my family for always being there and for accompanying me on this journey, as beautiful as it was difficult. Thank you to every coach, teammate, and executive I had the good fortune to work with. I leave with unforgettable memories and moments lived.

I leave with the peace and pride of having given you, together with my teammates, moments we had dreamed of. It was crazy to experience all of that with you.

I love you!

Thank you my God for making me Argentine.

VAMOS ARGENTINA!"

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

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