Messi's retirement ends a saga that began with 2006 debut

Lionel Messi Argentina has announced on Tuesday that he will leave the Albiceleste and retire from international football, bringing an era that included a 2022 World Cup triumph to a close. The Inter Miami striker’s decision shocked the world and teammates who shared the dressing‑room in his final years.

Lionel Messi and Argentina — one of the greatest legacies in the history of sport comes to an end. The decision marks the close of a partnership that defined a generation.

Early career and setbacks

Messi shone at the 2005 Under‑20 World Cup, scoring six goals in seven games and winning both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot. He made his senior debut under manager Jose Pekerman but was sent off minutes after coming on following an altercation with Hungarian defender Vilmos Vanczak. In the 2006 World Cup he became the youngest ever Argentine to play at the tournament, entering in the 74th minute against Serbia and Montenegro, providing the assist for Hernan Crespo’s goal in a 6–0 win and touching the ball for the first time on the world stage.

Argentina lost the 2007 Copa America final to Brazil, yet Messi added an Olympic gold medal with the U‑23 side in Beijing in 2008. At the 2010 World Cup, with Diego Maradona as coach, Messi failed to score and Argentina were beaten 4–0 by Germany in the quarter‑finals, ending Maradona’s tenure. The following year the team exited the 2011 Copa America in the quarter‑finals to Uruguay, again without a Messi goal. In 2014 the World Cup final was lost to Germany, and in 2015 the Copa America final fell to Chile on penalties – Messi was named tournament MVP but chose not to collect the award. The 2016 centenary Copa America saw Messi become Argentina’s all‑time top scorer, but the final was lost to Chile on penalties, his first penalty miss prompting an initial retirement announcement that he reversed weeks later.

Redemption and final glory

In 2022 Argentina won the World Cup for the first time since 1986, delivering the redemption that had eluded Messi for years. Throughout his career he bore the weight of comparison with his idol Diego Maradona, who won the 1986 World Cup and later coached Messi at the 2010 tournament. The burden was lifted as Messi added one World Cup and two Copa America titles in the last five years, leaving the national team as a hero and national icon.

His retirement leaves the Albiceleste without its talisman as he returns full‑time to Inter Miami, closing a chapter that began with a debut in 2006 and ended with a World Cup triumph.