{"id":24193,"date":"2026-09-01T10:27:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T04:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=24193"},"modified":"2026-09-01T10:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T04:43:06","slug":"messi-retires-from-international-football-ending-21-year-journey-with-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=24193","title":{"rendered":"Messi Retires from International Football, Ending 21-Year Journey with Argentina<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dragon Media Correspondent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Argentina captain and global football icon Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to a remarkable 21-year career with the national team.<\/p>\n

The 39-year-old announced on Monday through social media that his chapter in the Argentina jersey had come to an end.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s decision came around seven weeks after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He said he had begun thinking seriously about retirement immediately after the World Cup final and reached the decision after a long period of reflection.<\/p>\n

Messi described the decision as deeply painful but said the time had come to make way for a new generation. He said he had given everything he could to the national team and that representing Argentina had been one of the most important experiences of his life.<\/p>\n

Messi made his senior international debut against Hungary in a friendly match in 2005. He retires with 207 appearances and 125 goals for Argentina, holding the national records for both most international appearances and most goals.<\/p>\n

Messi represented Argentina at six World Cups. He helped the team reach the final in 2014 and again in 2026, while his greatest international achievement came in Qatar in 2022, when he captained Argentina to the World Cup title.<\/p>\n

Under his leadership, Argentina also won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, as well as the Finalissima in 2022.<\/p>\n

Before establishing himself with the senior national team, Messi won the FIFA U-20 World Cup with Argentina in 2005 and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s international career was not without difficult moments. After Argentina lost to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final, he announced his retirement from international football for the first time.<\/p>\n

He later reversed that decision following appeals from supporters, teammates and the wider Argentine football community.<\/p>\n

The years that followed became the most successful period of Messi\u2019s international career.<\/p>\n

Winning the 2021 Copa America ended years of criticism that he had been unable to deliver a major senior international trophy for Argentina. The 2022 World Cup triumph and another Copa America title in 2024 further cemented his historic status in Argentine football.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s retirement announcement prompted emotional reactions from current and former Argentina teammates, football officials and supporters, who paid tribute to his extraordinary contribution to the national team over more than two decades.<\/p>\n

Although he has retired from international football, Messi will continue playing at club level.<\/p>\n

He remains with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. His latest announcement therefore marks his retirement only from the Argentina national team, not from professional football altogether.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t