As the tears streamed down Lionel Messi’s cheeks in the moments after Spain beat Messi’s Argentina in extra time of last month’s FIFA World Cup final, the greatest player in soccer history must have known in his heart that he’d never pull the famous sky-blue-and-white-striped Albiceleste jersey on again.
Messi made it official on Monday, announcing his retirement from the national team led to three World Cup and five Copa América finals — winning the last two editions of the latter and the world title in 2022.
In an Instagram post, the 39-year-old said that he made the decision to walk away from his national team after 207 appearances and 125 goals two days after that brutal loss to La Roja in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Messi, who will continue to play at club level with MLS champions Inter Miami, added that the death of his father, Jorge, earlier this month in the family’s hometown of Rosario only cemented his decision.
There will be no going back this time.
(Photo by Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
It’s fitting that the 80,000-seat stadium just west of New York City was the sight of Messi’s final act on the global stage. It was in that building that Messi first walked away from the Albiceleste almost exactly a decade earlier.
In the bowels of the venue two hours after Chile beat Argentina on penalties to claim the 2016 Copa América Centenario, Messi — who’d missed his shootout attempt en route to defeat — shocked the sporting world when he told reporters that he was done representing his country in the wake of an ongoing feud between the players and the Argentine Football Association.
The then-Barcelona star was smack in his prime, having just turned 29. He’d already won the UEFA Champions League four times, won five Ballon d’Or awards and was already considered the GOAT despite the lack of trophies in international play.
Media members in attendance (I was one of them) instantly went from covering the biggest game in global soccer that day to the biggest news story in every corner of the planet.
(Photo by Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed. Messi never even missed a game.
In his post on Monday, Messi addressed Argentina’s fans.
“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,” he wrote. “Thank you for all the affection over these past 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the pitch so much.”
It’s soccer fans who should be thanking him.
By choosing to stick around, think about how much joy Messi has given not just his compatriots but all soccer lovers over the last decade. After another World Cup heartbreak in 2018, when Argentina was eliminated by eventual champs France, Messi led the Albiceleste on an unprecedented run of success. They beat blood rival Brazil in the Maracana to claim their South American title — his first at senior level for Argentina — in 2021.
Messi crowning achievement arrived at long last the following year, when he scored eight goals — including two in the World Cup final win over Les Bleus — to help Argentina triumph for the first time since Diego Maradona’s team did it in 1986.
(Photo by David Ramos – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
That tournament was billed as Messi’s final chance to collect the only trophy he hadn’t won. For good reason: Ahead of the competition, Messi said that Qatar 2022 would be his last World Cup.
Yet before even leaving an empty Lusail Stadium outside Doha in the wee hours of Dec. 19, Messi gave both his countrymen and neutral fans alike another gift, saying he’d continue as long as coach Lionel Scaloni would have him.
In 2024, Argentina then made it three titles in a row by winning another Copa, joining Spain’s legendary 2008-12 squad as the only national teams to win consecutive continental championships on either side of a World Cup victory.
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Still, it was fair to wonder then if Messi would last until 2026. Or how effective he would be if he did. Age and injuries catch up to every player eventually. Perhaps not to jinx himself, Messi wouldn’t confirm his participation in the Canada/Mexico/USA-hosted before Scaloni named him to Argentina’s 26-man roster weeks before the tourney kicked off.
Any doubts about Messi’s match-winning ability evaporated when the World Cup began.
Messi scored all three goals — his first career World Cup hat trick — in Argentina’s group stage-opening 3-0 drubbing of Algeria. He again finished with eight, becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer along the way. His two late assists in a 2-1 comeback win over England were otherworldly, and he had perhaps Argentina’s best chance to equalize in extra time against Spain, only for Pau Cubarsí to save what appeared to be a goal-bound shot with his face.
In a funny way, how Messi performed this summer in defeat might be even more impressive than his showing four years ago, when he was surrounded by a stronger and younger supporting cast.
Every Lionel Messi FIFA World Cup Goal
Messi gave us all a gift by un-retiring not once but twice. It’s one reason why, until Monday, there was some hope that Messi might continue donning Argentina’s colors for another four years.
In retrospect, that was always wishful thinking.
It’s always sad when a legend hangs up their boots, let alone the incomparable Messi. The end of an era is here. We were lucky to witness for a little longer than it might have lasted.
“I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give; he wrote. “I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — alongside my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of. It was an incredible experience to live this with you all.”
It was a privilege, Leo. The pleasure was ours.
