Messi retires from International football after 21 years with Argentina
Lionel Messi has retired from international football at 39, ending a remarkable 21-year career with Argentina just weeks after leading the team to the 2026 World Cup final.
But his decision closes one of football’s most extraordinary international chapters — a journey that began with an 18-year-old substitute sent off after two minutes and ended with a 39-year-old captain walking away as a world champion and an Argentine legend.
A legacy beyond the numbers Messi leaves international football with eight world player-of-the-year awards and a collection of major titles that includes the World Cup and two Copa America trophies.
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