Messi’s 21 years in Argentina’s jersey: An era filled with records and trophies

Lionel Messi has brought the curtain down on his 21-year international career after announcing his retirement from the Argentina national team. Since making his international debut in a friendly against Hungary on 17 August 2005, Messi has made 207 appearances for Argentina. During that time, he has reached extraordinary heights through his goals, assists, trophies and individual achievements.

With 125 international goals, Messi is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer. He has also provided 68 assists and scored 11 hat-tricks. Combining his goals and assists, he has directly contributed to 193 goals for Argentina. He was also a member of Argentina’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Messi’s World Cup career is equally packed with records. Under his leadership, Argentina reached the final in 2014. Although they lost 1-0 to Germany and missed out on the trophy, Messi scored four goals and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Eight years later, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi led Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years after defeating France on penalties. He scored seven goals and provided three assists during the tournament, winning the Golden Ball once again. He became the first player in World Cup history to win the Golden Ball twice.

Under Messi’s leadership, Argentina ended a 28-year wait for a major international trophy by winning the 2021 Copa América. He scored four goals and was named the tournament’s best player as Argentina defeated Brazil in the final. In 2022, Messi was also named Player of the Match in the Finalissima final against Italy. Argentina then won another Copa América title in 2024, defeating Colombia.

Messi has also set record after record on the World Cup stage. With 34 appearances, he holds the record for the most World Cup matches played. His 21 goals place him second on the all-time World Cup scoring list. He has been named Player of the Match 16 times at the World Cup. He is also the only player to have started in three World Cup finals. At the age of 39 years and 25 days, he became the oldest player to appear in a World Cup final.

Messi left his mark on his final World Cup as well. At the 2026 tournament, he scored eight goals and provided four assists. However, Argentina lost the final 1-0 to Spain, missing out on the trophy. That match marked Messi’s final appearance for the national team.
After 21 years in Argentina’s famous blue-and-white shirt, the footballing icon leaves international football with a remarkable collection of world records and major honours, including Olympic gold, Copa América titles, the Finalissima and the World Cup—cementing his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time.