Buenos Aires, August 31 (QNA) - Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami CF forward, has announced his retirement from international football after a long and illustrious career with his national team.

In a lengthy statement posted on his official social media accounts, Messi said that he has decided to retire from international football with the Argentina national team, following the FIFA World Cup 2026 final and upon deep reflection.

The former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star added that this is a painful decision, one that still hurts him deeply, yet, he stressed that it comes at the right time.

Messi swore that he had given the national team his absolute best, not only in recent years, which saw numerous victories, but also before that.

The Argentine superstar stressed that he had given his country's jersey his everything, as to make fans happy and proud of being Argentines.

Messi has won two Copa America titles with Argentina, in 2021 and 2024, as well as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Meanwhile, he has lost the FIFA World Cup 2026 final to Spain 1-0. (QNA)