The Argentina national team lost 1-0 to Spain in the final and failed to secure back-to-back titles at the 2026 World Cup.

A solitary goal from Ferran Torres in extra time dashed the ‘Albiceleste’s’ hopes, as they were thoroughly outplayed by the Spanish national team throughout the match.

This brings Lionel Messi’s World Cup career to a close. The Argentine captain played his final World Cup match.

The star from Rosario, the most successful player in the history of the ‘Ballon d'Or’, brings a glorious chapter of his sporting career to a close after more than two decades of magic, resilience and eternal glory.

The end of the most glorious era

The ‘No. 10’ will never again wear the Argentina national team shirt at a World Cup. The most wonderful love story between a footballer and a country that will never be the same again has come to an end.

At 39, the captain bids farewell at the very top, having transformed the modern history of Argentine football. Gone are the years of excessive criticism and lost finals. What followed was nothing but glory.

Curiously, this tale of love and drama began in the strangest of ways: on 17 August 2005, in a friendly against Hungary, an 18-year-old Messi made his debut and was sent off just 47 seconds after coming on.

Who would have thought that such a rocky start would ultimately forge one of the greatest idols in the history of Argentine football?

The all-time top scorer for the Albiceleste

Throughout his international career, Messi has smashed every record that has come his way.

Along the way, he surpassed Gabriel Batistuta’s record to establish himself as the all-time leading goalscorer for Argentina and for the whole of South America at international level.

With his latest goals in the build-up to and during this tournament, Messi has brought his personal tally to a figure that seems unattainable for future generations.

All-time top scorers for the Argentina national team:

  1. Lionel Messi: 125 goals

  2. Gabriel Batistuta: 54 goals

  3. Sergio Agüero: 42 goals

  4. Lautaro Martínez: 37 goals

  5. Hernán Crespo: 35 goals

  6. Diego Maradona: 32 goals

  7. Gonzalo Higuaín: 31 goals

  8. Ángel Di María: 31 goals

The record holder for appearances

Messi is not only the top goalscorer, but also the player who has represented Argentina on the pitch the most times.

He has comfortably surpassed the 200-match mark, leaving behind legendary teammates such as Javier Mascherano and Ángel Di María.

Players with the most appearances for the Argentina national team:

  1. Lionel Messi: 207 matches

  2. Javier Mascherano: 147 matches

  3. Ángel Di María: 145 matches

  4. Javier Zanetti: 143 matches

  5. Roberto Ayala: 115 matches

A trophy cabinet brimming with glory

Unlike other great legends who retired with the bitter taste of World Cup disappointment still lingering, Messi managed to go all the way.

After years of drought and resilience, he led the most successful period in the senior national team’s modern history, winning four international titles that healed any wounds from the past.

Lionel Messi’s titles with the Argentina national team:

  • 2005 – Under-20 World Cup (Netherlands)

  • 2008 – Olympic Gold Medal (Beijing)

  • 2021 – Copa América (Brazil)

  • 2022 – Finalissima (London)

  • 2022 – FIFA World Cup (Qatar)

  • 2024 – Copa América (United States)

The only Argentine to have played in six World Cups

As well as his goals and appearance records, Messi became the only Argentine player to have played in six World Cups.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Guillermo Ochoa are part of this select group of footballers who have featured in that many World Cups.

Lionel Messi’s World Cup record:

  • Germany 2006: Knocked out in the quarter-finals (against Germany)

  • South Africa 2010: Knocked out in the quarter-finals (against Germany)

  • Brazil 2014: Runners-up (lost the final to Germany)

  • Russia 2018: Knocked out in the round of 16 (against France)

  • Qatar 2022: World Champions (beating France in the final)

  • North America 2026: Runners-up (lost the final to Spain)

Over the course of these six tournaments, Messi became the player with the most appearances in World Cup history and the only footballer to captain a national team in three World Cup finals.

As if that weren’t enough, he also became the tournament’s top assist provider and its second-highest goalscorer, behind Kylian Mbappé, with 21 goals.

A legacy that will last for ever

The curtain falls on the number 10. From tomorrow, the Argentina national team will enter a new era.

A dimension unknown to an entire generation of fans who grew up, suffered and celebrated alongside their captain. A generation that saw him cry, and saw him triumph...

There was no perfect ending to this 2026 World Cup, but football had already repaid all its debts to him in advance. There are no loose ends.

Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini bids farewell to the World Cups with the peace of mind of having brought a smile back to an entire country and with the absolute certainty that his legacy will live on forever.

Now it remains to be seen whether there will be room for one more appearance in the Argentina national team shirt. He has not yet made an official statement.

But, whatever decision he makes… Quite simply, thank you, Leo.