Lionel Messi's Argentina Retirement Confirmed? Teammate Drops Massive Hint: "Decision Made"

Lionel Messi may have played his final match for Argentina. The 39-year-old was left in tears after Argentina's 1-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, and those tears may well have been due to the game possibly being his last for his country. According to his Argentina teammate Leandro Paredes, Messi had decided ahead of the World Cup final that that match would be his final appearance in Argentina colours. Paredes described Messi's decision as "painful".

Paredes was asked a question regarding Messi's retirement in an interview ahead of a match for Boca Juniors in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. There, the midfielder appeared to confirm that Messi's international farewell may have already happened.

"I think he has made his decision, and that it really was his last match with the national team," Paredes said in a media interview ahead of a CONMEBOL Sudamericana match for Boca Juniors.

"I hope that is not the case, and I hope he can carry on playing, but the decision ultimately rests with him. Anything that makes him happy will certainly make us happy, so we hope for that, we hope he continues," Paredes further said.

"It is painful, because I think we kept saying it throughout the World Cup, we did not want that last match to come, we did not want it at all," he further said.

If Messi does hang up his boots when it comes to his Argentina career, he would walk away as his nation's all-time record appearance-maker and goalscorer. Messi has played 205 times for Argentina, scoring 127 goals.

After years of having his international career questioned, Messi led Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup crown in 2022, ending a 36-year wait. By leading Argentina to the World Cup final in 2026, Messi became the first person to captain in three World Cup finals.

Featured Video Of The Day

Topics mentioned in this article

Messi Paredes Argentina Football 2026 FIFA World Cup