Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31, 2026. He announced his retirement in an emotional post on social media. Messi recently performed brilliantly as captain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, his team, Argentina, lost the title match against Spain. Messi’s retirement has come as a big shock to his fans. He will no longer play for Argentina. Let’s take a look at 10 historic moments in Messi’s career.

World Cup debut

Messi made his debut for Argentina in the 2006 World Cup. At the age of 18, Messi became the youngest player to ever play for Argentina in the World Cup. He also scored his first international goal in the 2006 World Cup.

Meeting Diego Maradona

In 2010, he met former Argentine legend Diego Maradona, who was also Argentina’s coach at the time. Messi went to South Africa as a star player for the 2010 World Cup. However, Argentina’s campaign ended in the quarterfinals.

Scoring record broken in 2012

On 20 March 2012, Messi scored a hat-trick against Guanajuato, breaking César Rodríguez’s record as Barcelona’s all-time top goalscorer.

This is how the year 2012 was made memorable

Messi had a memorable 2012, scoring 91 goals. He scored 79 for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina, becoming the highest-scoring player in a calendar year.

Big achievement in the year 2014

In November 2014, Messi surpassed Telmo Zarra as La Liga’s all-time top goalscorer after scoring three goals against Sevilla.

Won the title by defeating Brazil

In 2021, Messi performed brilliantly for Argentina and won the Copa America title by defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final.

Capture the World Cup 2022

Messi led Argentina to victory in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Argentina defeated France to win the title. He scored a total of seven goals in this World Cup.

Ballon d’Or title

After winning the World Cup 2022, Messi achieved a historic feat by winning the Ballon d’Or title for the eighth time in 2023.

Great performance in World Cup 2026

Messi performed brilliantly in the FIFA World Cup 2026, scoring a total of eight goals. This brings his total to 21 goals in World Cup history.

FIFA World Cup became the last journey

Messi played his last match for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup in 2026. He performed brilliantly and reached the final. However, Spain defeated Argentina to win the title.