Superstar striker Lionel Messi has announced he is retiring from international football after playing for Argentina for more than 20 years. This means he will keep playing for his club, Inter Miami, but he will no longer play for his country or compete in international tournaments. The 39-year-old was the captain when Argentina won the World Cup in 2022, and he led his team to the final again this summer, where they were defeated by Spain. In a message on social media, he said that the decision was painful to make, but that it was finally time to move on. Let’s look back at some of the most famous moments from Messi's incredible career. In the year 2000, Messi was signed by the club Barcelona when he was just 13 years old—his contract was even written on a paper napkin! He scored his first goal for the club in 2005 when he was 17, making him the youngest player to ever score a league goal for Barcelona. He stayed with Barcelona for 17 seasons, setting a club record by scoring 672 goals in 778 matches. Messi also won 10 Spanish League titles and four Champions League trophies before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Messi also dazzled on the international stage, playing his first game for Argentina in 2005. A year later, he scored his first goal for his country. He is the top scorer in Argentina's history, with 125 goals and 46 assists. He has also played in more games for Argentina than any other player, with a total of 207 appearances. At his first World Cup in 2006, Messi became the youngest player to play for and score for Argentina in the tournament. Messi made his sixth World Cup appearance while captaining Argentina in 2026. This made him the first player in history to ever play in six different men's World Cups. He is also the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the tournament with 21 goals, trailing just behind Kylian Mbappé. At the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, Messi captained Argentina to a thrilling win over France in the final. The game ended in a 3-3 tie, and Argentina won the penalty shoot-out 4-2. Messi scored twice in that game before lifting the famous golden trophy, which was his country’s third World Cup title. The Ballon d'Or is a special yearly prize given to the best footballer in the world, voted for by journalists. While many famous players have won it, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ousmane Dembélé, Messi holds the record for the most wins ever—a whopping eight times!