Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team for the second and final time.
The announcement came on August 31, 2026, in a letter posted to Instagram. Messi said he actually wrote the letter on July 21, two days after Argentina's 1-0 extra time loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey.
He delayed publishing it after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, on August 8.
In the letter, Messi wrote: "After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the National Team. It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep down, but I understand that the time has come."
He added: "Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the National Team. I have given everything I had, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here."
This is the second retirement letter of his career. The first was in 2016 after Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile. At 29, Messi said then: "It is not meant for me. For me the national team is over. I have done all I can, it hurts not to be a champion."
He returned two months later and went on to win the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America.
In his second letter, the tone was different. He wrote: "I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you, alongside my teammates, moments we once only dreamed of. Thank God for making me Argentine."
He also added a note at the end: "I wrote these words on July 21st, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before."
Messi leaves as Argentina's most capped player with 207 appearances and all time top scorer with 125 goals. He will continue his club career with Inter Miami.