The retirement of 2016 looked like the end of Messi’s Argentina story. Instead, it became the beginning of his greatest chapter
Aditya KaushikNew Delhi9 min read Last Updated : Sep 01 2026 | 10:18 AM IST
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On Monday, August 31, one of the greatest players in Argentina and in football history, Lionel Messi, brought the curtain down on his legendary 21-year international career, just months after leading Argentina to the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as defending champions.
However, for years before Argentina’s iconic run in recent years, Lionel Messi’s career with Argentina seemed destined to be remembered for what went wrong. The defeats in major finals, the criticism and the burden of being compared with Argentina’s greatest players reached a breaking point in 2016, when Messi announced his retirement from international football after losing another Copa America final.
Messi was only 29 when he announced his first retirement. But 10 years later, he walks away from the blue and white jersey with one of the most remarkable turnarounds in international football.
Messi rescinded his 2016 retirement after six weeks and went on to win his first major senior trophy with Argentina in 2021, and then completed the ultimate mission by lifting the World Cup in 2022. His decade-long redemption story transformed his place in Argentina’s football history as one of its best, if not the best, players.
The defeat that pushed Messi over the edge
The roots of Messi’s 2016 retirement went back much further than that one night in New Jersey.
Argentina had reached the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, only to lose 1-0 to Germany after extra time. A year later, Messi and Argentina were back in a major final, this time at the Copa America, where Chile won on penalties.
The Copa America Centenario in 2016 offered another opportunity. Argentina reached the final again, once more facing Chile, and once again, the trophy slipped away.
The final finished 0-0 after extra time before Chile prevailed in the penalty shootout. Messi missed Argentina’s first penalty, and the defeat became the fourth major final he had lost with the national team, following the 2007 Copa America, 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America.
The disappointment was too much. “For me, the national team is over,” Messi said after the match. “I’ve done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion.”
At only 29, Argentina’s record goalscorer had apparently decided that there was nothing left to prove.
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The retirement lasted just 66 days
The story changed almost immediately. Messi reconsidered his decision and returned to Argentina duty only 66 days after announcing his retirement. His comeback came in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, where he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory.
However, the return did not instantly solve Argentina’s problems. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Argentina struggled in the group stage before Messi scored against Nigeria to help them reach the knockout rounds. But their campaign ended in the last 16 with a 4-3 defeat to eventual champions France.
Then came another setback at the 2019 Copa America. Argentina lost to Brazil in the semi-finals and eventually finished third after beating Chile. Messi had returned because he still believed Argentina’s story could be different. But the trophies remained out of reach.
A new Argentina begins to take shape
The turning point was not simply Messi’s persistence. It was also the emergence of a different Argentina.
Lionel Scaloni initially took charge as caretaker following the 2018 World Cup and was subsequently given the permanent job. Under Scaloni, Argentina gradually became a more balanced and cohesive team, with Messi no longer carrying the entire burden himself.
Players such as Angel Di Maria, Rodrigo De Paul, Lautaro Martinez and Emiliano Martinez became increasingly important around him. The team also developed a mentality that had been missing during some of Argentina’s previous disappointments.
By 2021, Messi was no longer simply trying to win something with Argentina. He was leading a team that genuinely believed it could.
2021 Copa America: The trophy that changed Messi’s story
Messi’s Argentina breakthrough finally arrived in the form of the 2021 Copa America in Brazil, exactly five years after he announced his retirement following defeat in the final of the same tournament.
The final against Brazil was played at the Maracana, a venue where Argentina had endured so many painful memories in previous years. But this time, there was no shootout and no late heartbreak.
Di Maria scored the only goal of the final, Argentina won 1-0, and Messi finally became a senior international champion.
After nearly 15 years of trying with the senior national team and five years after feeling he could not achieve anything with his national side, he had his first major trophy with Argentina.
Messi fell to his knees at the final whistle as his teammates surrounded him. It was more than a Copa America title. It was the moment that broke the psychological barrier surrounding Messi and Argentina.
The player who had been repeatedly questioned for failing to win with his country was finally a champion. And it was only the beginning.
From Copa America glory to World Cup belief
Argentina entered the 2022 World Cup as Copa America champions and with a long unbeaten run behind them.
Then came one of the biggest shocks of the tournament. Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1 in their opening match.
For a team carrying so much expectation, it could easily have triggered another collapse.
Instead, Argentina responded in the strongest possible manner. Messi scored against Mexico in the second group game and then again against Australia in the round of 16. He scored against the Netherlands in the quarter-final and found the net against Croatia in the semi-final, while also providing an assist in that match.
Argentina were back in the World Cup final. This time, Messi was not carrying the scars of previous finals alone. He had already won with Argentina, and his team had developed the resilience to survive setbacks. But the biggest test was still waiting.
The World Cup final Messi had waited for
France stood between Messi and the trophy that had eluded him for so long. The final in Qatar became an extraordinary contest.
Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Argentina extended their lead. France fought back through Kylian Mbappe, and the match eventually went to extra time.
Messi scored again in extra time, only for Mbappe to complete his hat-trick and force a penalty shootout.
This time, there was no missed Messi penalty that would define the story. He scored Argentina’s first kick. Emiliano Martinez then produced the decisive saves before Gonzalo Montiel converted the winning penalty.
Argentina were world champions. Messi was a World Cup winner. The player who had once walked away from the national team after another final defeat was now standing on the pitch holding the biggest trophy in international football.
Messi finally steps out of Maradona’s shadow
Winning the World Cup also changed Messi’s place in Argentine football. For years, comparisons with Diego Maradona had followed him everywhere. Maradona had led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, while Messi had repeatedly fallen short on the biggest international stage.
Qatar changed that debate. Messi was not simply part of a World Cup-winning team. He was its captain, its leading figure and one of the tournament’s defining players.
He scored seven goals, provided three assists and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. It was also his second World Cup Golden Ball, having previously won the award in 2014, making him the only player to date to win two World Cup Golden Balls.
After the final, Messi made it clear that he was not ready to walk away.
“I am not going to retire from the national team,” he said. “I want to keep playing as world champions with Argentina.” The redemption story had reached its peak, but Messi still had more to accomplish.
Another Copa America triumph in 2024
Messi and Argentina entered the 2024 Copa America as defending champions and World Cup winners.
The pressure was different now. There was no longer a question about whether Messi could win a major trophy with Argentina. Instead, the challenge was whether this golden generation could sustain its dominance.
Argentina reached the final against Colombia. Messi was forced off with an injury during the second half, leaving the pitch in tears. But Argentina eventually won 1-0 after extra time through Lautaro Martinez.
Messi had now won two Copa America titles and a World Cup with Argentina. The player who had once been defined by his final defeats had become the leader of one of the country’s most successful eras.
The final chapter arrives in 2026
Messi’s Argentina story eventually reached its final chapter at the 2026 World Cup. At 39, he led Argentina to another final, giving him three World Cup final appearances across his career.
But this time, there was no fairytale ending. Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final, and Messi’s international career ended with another World Cup final defeat. FIFA noted that his final appearance came in the same New York/New Jersey stadium where his 2016 retirement had begun a decade earlier, creating an extraordinary full circle.
Days later, Messi confirmed his retirement from international football, bringing a legendary international career to an end. Messi did not just enjoy collective success with Argentina; his individual numbers were also staggering: 207 appearances and 125 goals, making him both Argentina’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer.
The retirement that changed everything
Messi’s first retirement in 2016 was born from frustration. His final retirement in 2026 came from fulfilment.
Between those two decisions, he changed the meaning of his Argentina career. He returned when it would have been easier to stay away. He endured another World Cup disappointment in 2018 and another Copa America setback in 2019. Then came the breakthrough in 2021, followed by the Finalissima in 2022, the World Cup in Qatar and another Copa America title in 2024.
That is why Messi’s international legacy cannot be judged simply by his 125 goals or 207 appearances.
The defining achievement was changing the ending. In 2016, Messi walked away believing he had failed Argentina because he had not won the trophies the country demanded.
Ten years later, he walked away as a World Cup winner, a two-time Copa America champion and the undisputed statistical leader of Argentina’s national team.
The retirement of 2016 looked like the end of Messi’s Argentina story. Instead, it became the beginning of his greatest chapter.
Topics :lionel messifootballFIFA World Cup
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First Published: Sep 01 2026 | 10:18 AMIST
