Lionel Messi retired from international football on August 31, aged 39. Argentina's most-capped player and all-time top scorer walks away with 124 goals and 203 appearances — numbers that put him at the summit of South American football history.
The tributes came fast, including from an unexpected corner. Former India cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh both posted on social media, which says something about how far Messi's reach extended beyond the sport. Dhawan put it simply: "The Argentina shirt won't feel quite the same without the No. 10. A career full of pressure, perseverance, heartbreak and ultimately glory."
From 2016 retirement to World Cup winner
The arc of Messi's international career was rarely straightforward. He retired once before — in 2016, after Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile — and came back. That reversal looks like one of the better decisions in modern football history.
What followed: a Copa America title in 2021, ending a 28-year trophy drought for Argentina. Then the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — the one that defined everything. He scored twice in the final, converted a penalty, and watched his side beat France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw. France had Kylian Mbappé. Messi had the winner's medal.
He went on to appear in six World Cups in total, from 2006 through to 2026, scoring 21 goals in 34 matches. In the 2026 tournament alone, he put up eight goals and four assists, including a hat-trick against Algeria — his first ever at a World Cup. At 39. Mbappé eventually overtook his all-time World Cup tally, finishing with 22 goals to Messi's 21, which feels like a minor footnote rather than a defeat.
What Argentina lose — and what comes next
There's no clean replacement for a No. 10 who carried a nation's footballing identity for nearly two decades. Argentina's depth has improved significantly in recent years, but the tactical and psychological weight Messi absorbed — especially in knockout football — isn't something you redistribute across a squad. International odds on Argentina will look different without him at the core, and they should.
Messi isn't done with football altogether. He'll continue at Inter Miami in MLS, where the club sits fourth in the standings — 10 points behind Nashville SC — with 12 wins, six draws and four losses. Whether he can drag them into contention is another question entirely.
203 caps. 124 goals. Back-to-back Copa Americas. A World Cup. Yuvraj Singh said Messi became a legend "while still writing history." As of August 31, the writing is finished.
