Lionel Messi, widely regarded as soccer’s greatest player of all time, has announced his retirement from international competition following Argentina’s World Cup Final defeat in 2026. The 39-year-old legend shared handwritten notes on Instagram to reveal his decision.

Messi’s announcement comes shortly after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away earlier this month at age 68.

The former Argentina striker, who played in six World Cups and won the tournament in Qatar in 2022, led his nation to the final in 2026 before losing to Spain. In his Instagram post, Messi wrote: “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 Argentina national team…

“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”

Messi revealed he wrote the notes two days after Argentina’s loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup Final. He exited the pitch emotionally following the defeat.

During his career with Barcelona, Messi won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies, becoming a global superstar. However, he had never led Argentina to a major international trophy, including quarterfinal exits in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, a final loss to Germany in 2014, and a Round of 16 defeat to France in 2018.

Messi also experienced three Copa America final losses, including one to Chile in 2016 that led to a brief retirement from international play. Argentina finally won the Copa America in 2021, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final.

Currently playing for Inter Miami in MLS, Messi remains Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorer and most-capped player with 125 goals in 207 appearances for his national team.