A look at Lionel Messi's achievements with Argentina
What's the story
Argentina great Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football, He said it was a decision that "hurt" but "the time has come". The 39-year-old, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, owns the most goals and appearances for his side in history. Messi shone for Argentina across competitions and helped them achieve plenty of success. Here's more.
Context
Why does this story matter?
In a statement, Messi said he gave everything to the national side but now has "nothing left to give".
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've given it my all, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some really great young players coming through behind me who deserve their chance," he added.
Messi
Breaking down Messi's numbers for Argentina
Messi played 207 matches for Argentina and managed a total of 125 goals and 65 assists.
In 34 FIFA World Cup appearances, Messi went on to clock 21 goals and 12 assists.
Messi scored 54 goals in 61 friendly appearances for Argentina.
In 72 FIFA World Cup qualification games, he managed 36 goals.
In 39 Copa America games, he scored 14 goals.
He also played one Finalissima game.
Do you know?
Messi scored 11 hat-tricks for Argentina
Messi scored 11 hat-tricks for Argentina. His first hat-trick for Argentina was against Switzerland in 2012 as Argentina won 3-1. Messi managed 2 hat-tricks against Bolivia in 2021 and 2024. His last hat-trick was against Algeria in 2026..
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10-plus goals in 3 calendar years
Messi scored 10-plus goals in 3 calendar years for Argentina. He scored 12 goals from 9 matches in 2012. In 2022, he scored 18 goals for Argentina in 14 appearances. In 2026, Messi scored 10 goals from 11 games.
Information
4 major honors won with Argentina
Messi managed to win 4 major honors with the national team. He won the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and Copa América in 2021 and 2024. He also bagged the Finalissima in 2022.
WC
Messi appeared in six World Cups
Messi appeared in 6 World Cups. He played in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions respectively.
He was a runner-up in 2014 and then won the 2022 edition.
He once again ended as runner-up in 2026. With 34 appearances, Messi is the highest capped player in the tournament's history.
He won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball in 2014, 2022 and FIFA World Cup Silver Boot in 2022 and 2026. He also won the Silver Ball in 2026.
Messi
Messi's World Cup career in numbers
Messi finished his career with 21 World Cup goals. It's the 2nd-highest after France's Kylian Mbappe, who owns a total of 22 World Cup goals.
In terms of playing the most matches in World Cup history, Messi tops the list with 34.
Messi managed 12 assists at the World Cup.
Interestingly, Messi recorded the most assists in the knockout rounds (10).
He also recorded an assist in 6 different World Cup campaigns.