Messi leaves the Argentina national team

Argentine forward Lionel Messi has informed his national team teammates that he has played his last match for the squad.

Journalist Hernán Castillo reported this on his page on the social network X.

According to the source, L. Messi gave a speech in the locker room after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Spain, in which Argentina lost 0:1 in extra time.

L. Messi, who is 39 years old, has been playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer in the United States since 2023. In European clubs, he played for French club Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish club Barcelona. With the Catalan club, he won the Champions League four times and claimed the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup three times each.

The forward is a 2022 World Cup champion, silver medalist at the 2014 and 2026 World Cups, 2008 Olympic champion, and a two-time Copa América winner (2021, 2024).

L. Messi also holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or awards — eight trophies.