September 1, 2026 · Handwritten letter on Instagram
Leaving the Argentina He Loves
On 1 September 2026, Lionel Messi posted a single handwritten page on Instagram. He wrote it before the echo of the World Cup final had faded, and after saying goodbye to the father he loved. Twenty years that began with a teenager and ended with a captain of forty, and the last sentence was not a farewell but a thank you.
A good while has passed since the final, and after a lot of thinking I want to say this to all of you: I am stepping away from the national team…
It was a decision that hurt, and it still hurts. But I understand that the moment has come. I swear to you that I always gave everything, not only in these last years but long before them. I fought for this shirt, to give you joy, and so that football could make you feel proud of being Argentinian.
There is not much time left now, and one by one the curtains come down. This decision brings me real pain. I loved playing for the national team, I loved it, and I will love it forever. I have given everything I had, and there is nothing left for me to show. And behind me there are wonderful players who deserve to wear this shirt.
Thank you for all the love and support of these twenty years. What I will miss most is not hearing your voices from inside the pitch. From now on I will be one of you, cheering from the outside, always with you. In the good moments, and even more in the hard ones.
Thank you to my family, who were always there, for walking this beautiful and not always easy road with me. Thank you to every coach, every team-mate and every member of staff I was lucky enough to share it with. I will keep the unforgettable moments and the memories we lived together.
I leave with peace and pride, knowing that together with my team-mates we were able to give you moments that felt like a dream. Living all of that with you was a crazy kind of happiness.
I love you all!
And thank you to God for making me Argentinian.
Lionel Messi
Across twenty years in the sky blue and white he played 207 times and left 125 goals and 65 assists. It began with the 2005 U-20 World Cup and Olympic gold in 2008, then the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América. And 2026, right down to the last step that stopped in the final, belonged to him too. From now on he cheers for Argentina from the stands, next to us.
Messi's Argentina record
20 years · 207 caps · 125 goals · 65 assists · 1 World Cup · 2 Copa América · 1 Finalissima · 1 Olympic gold
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