Lionel Messi’s Argentina career in numbers after international retirement | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Lionel Messi, 39, has ended his international career, a month and a half after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat, 1-0 after extra time.

From his debut against Hungary in August 2005 to the 2026 World Cup final, his cap tally stands 60 clear of Javier Mascherano’s. It is the second-highest total in men’s internationals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s 233 for Portugal.

Messi scored 125 goals for Argentina, by far the national record, with Gabriel Batistuta next on 56. Across all nations only Ronaldo has more, with 146.

He reached eight major finals, losing five and winning three. Defeats came in the 2007 Copa América against Brazil, 0-3, the 2014 World Cup against Germany, 1-0 after extra time, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América deciders against Chile, both 0-0 after extra time then settled 1-4 and 2-4 on penalties.

He then lifted the 2021 Copa América against Brazil, 1-0, the 2022 World Cup against France, 3-3 after extra time and 4-2 on penalties, and the 2024 Copa América against Colombia, 1-0 after extra time, before a final defeat to Spain in June 2026, 1-0 after extra time.

Across six World Cups from 2006 to 2026 he scored 21 goals. In tournament history only Kylian Mbappé has more, with 22.

He played in three World Cup finals, a record he shares with Cafu, who featured for Brazil in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Ángel Di María is the teammate who lined up with him most often, 113 shared appearances between 2008 and 2024, followed by Mascherano with 111 from 2006 to 2018 and Nicolás Otamendi with 106 from 2009 to 2026.

His first retirement from Argentina duty came in 2016 after the Copa América final loss to Chile in New York, a decision he has repeated 10 years on.

Source: L'Équipe

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