Buenos Aires (GNP): The Argentine football league will pay tribute to Lionel Messi this weekend by pausing all matches in the 10th minute for a minute of applause, marking his retirement from international football with the number he wore throughout his national team career.
The 39-year-old forward, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, announced his retirement from the national side on Monday, bringing an end to a international career that spanned more than two decades. His final appearance for Argentina came in the 2026 World Cup final defeat by Spain in July, closing out a tournament run that had earlier seen him play a key role in eliminating England in the semi-finals.
The Argentine Football Association said that in tribute to Messi’s career with the national team, referees across all matches will stop play at the 10th minute for a general minute of applause, inviting fans on the fields to join in the recognition. The gesture reflects the scale of Messi’s standing in Argentine football, built over a career that made him the country’s all-time appearances record holder with 207 caps.
This is not the first time Messi has stepped away from international duty. He first retired from the national team in 2016, following a defeat by Chile in the Copa America final in which he missed a penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years, before later reversing that decision and returning to lead the team to further success. Since then, he went on to win the World Cup and two Copa America titles with Argentina, scoring a record 125 goals for the national side.
Messi made his international debut in 2005 as a 63rd-minute substitute in a friendly win over Hungary, launching a career that would see him become the second-highest goalscorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, behind France’s Kylian Mbappe, and the second-highest all-time international goalscorer with 125 goals, behind his longtime rival, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite moving to Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the age of 13, Messi has never played senior club football in his native Argentina.
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The timing of his retirement follows a period of personal reflection for Messi, who said in August that he was considering his future in football following the death of his father, Jorge. Announcing his retirement from international football, Messi said that following his father’s death, he felt even more convinced than before that he was making the right decision.
Messi will continue his club career in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, where his contract runs through the end of the 2028 season.
