Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the Argentine national team on August 31, 2026, concluding a 21-year career with the squad. ^[1] Argentine President Javier Milei posted on his Instagram account to celebrate Lionel Messi's retirement from the national team. ^[2] Leo Messi announced his farewell to the Argentina national team in a public note. ^[3] CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, released an emotional video tribute to Messi on its social media accounts following his announcement. ^[4] Lionel Messi announced his decision to retire from the Argentine national team on July 21, shortly after the final match against Spain and the death of his father. ^[5] In his farewell note, Leo Messi stated that he is leaving empty-handed. ^[6] Hours after Messi's announcement, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo posted an Instagram tribute accompanied by a family photo album showing the player with their children Thiago, Mateo and Ciro. ^[7] In her Instagram post, Roccuzzo wrote that she felt proud to see Messi close this stage of his career after years of moments, joys and blows, and that she had watched him suffer, fall, get up and keep trying. ^[8] In his retirement letter, Messi said the decision began to form on 2026-07-21, two days after Argentina's narrow defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, and was ultimately sealed by the subsequent death of his father. ^[9] Internet users noticed a circular figure at the top of the pen Messi used to write his farewell letter and speculated it resembles a Time-Turner, a magical device from the Harry Potter series. ^[10] The author described the Argentina national team shirt as the most suffering, beloved, and glorious for Messi. ^[11] The author stated that it was impossible not to admire Messi's immense talent. ^[12]