Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the Argentine national team on Monday following the World Cup final loss to Spain. ^[1] Lionel Messi announced on Monday that he is retiring from the Argentina national soccer team via a handwritten letter published on Instagram. ^[2] The author admitted to his son that he was wrong to prefer Diego Maradona over Lionel Messi. ^[3] The author concludes that Messi is the greatest of all time and that those who supported him were right. ^[4] Jonas Schwartz, a commentator for Disney+, stated that Messi's retirement is a natural conclusion given his age of 39 and the recent death of his father, Jorge. ^[5] Messi made his debut for the Argentine national team in 2005 and has since won two Copa América titles and one World Cup title. ^[6] Messi missed the World Cup final due to his father's illness and death, which Schwartz described as emotionally hard for the player. ^[7] Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain, meaning Messi did not win the tournament despite his performance. ^[8] Messi scored eight goals and provided four assists for Argentina during the 2026 World Cup, directly contributing to 12 of the team's 19 goals on their way to the final. ^[9] Damián Tiralongo, 47, owner of a soccer jersey store in Buenos Aires, stated that Messi's retirement hurts him and marks the end of an era. ^[10] Messi, 39, led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup victory and the 2026 World Cup final, restoring the team to global glory. ^[11] Pedro Saborido, an Argentine screenwriter, said Messi allows Argentines to exist in the world like the Pope or Maradona and that his departure creates a void. ^[12]