"The Argentina shirt won't feel quite the same without the No. 10." That was Shikhar Dhawan's tribute on X, and honestly, it's hard to argue with. Lionel Messi retired from international football on August 31 at 39 — closing a chapter that spanned six World Cups, 203 caps, and 124 goals.
That goal tally makes him the highest scorer in South American football history. Full stop. Not Argentina's best. The entire continent's.
What he actually did in that shirt
The career arc is what makes this retirement land differently than most. This wasn't a player who peaked early and coasted. Messi spent years defined by international failure — including a 2014 World Cup final loss to Germany and a reversed retirement in 2016 after Argentina fell to Chile in the Copa America final. He quit, came back, and then won everything.
The 2021 Copa America ended Argentina's 28-year title drought. The 2022 World Cup, their first in 36 years, came down to a 3-3 draw with France before a penalty shootout — Messi scoring twice in regulation and converting from the spot. He then helped Argentina retain the Copa America in 2024. Back-to-back continental titles bookending a World Cup. That's the run that rewrites a legacy.
At the 2026 World Cup — his sixth — Messi scored eight goals and added four assists, including his first-ever World Cup hat-trick against Algeria. He finished his tournament career with 21 goals in 34 matches, second only to Kylian Mbappe's 22. He briefly held the all-time record before Mbappe overtook him in the same tournament. That detail alone says something about the era these two shared.
Club football goes on
Messi isn't done playing. Inter Miami and MLS still have him, and at 39, he remains the most recognizable player in the league by a distance. Miami sit fourth in the MLS standings — 42 points, 10 behind Nashville SC — which means there's still competitive football left in him. Whether that translates to silverware is another question, but his presence keeps Miami's visibility and market value in a different bracket entirely.
Yuvraj Singh put it simply on Instagram: "There are very few who become legends while they are still writing history." The cricket world paying its respects says something about the scale of what Messi meant beyond football. 203 caps. 124 goals. Six World Cups. The Argentina shirt retires the number 10 in a way no successor can easily inherit.
