The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has paid an emotional tribute to Lionel Messi, who retired from international football on Monday.
The greatest of all time, now 39 years old, finally announced his departure from the Albiceleste – 21 years since he made his debut for Argentina in 2005 and went on to win all the major accolades in world football.
AFA doffs hat to the legend
According to the AFA website, there are phrases that need few words to tell a whole story. At the time of closing his time with the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi chose one of them: “I swear I left everything on the pitch.”
READ: Lionel Messi becomes record FIFA World Cup goalscorer
The association says that Messi’s choice of words and his farewell parting shot fit a good part of his career with the light blue and white shirt.
“Because Messi left everything in every game, in every tournament, in every World Cup and in every opportunity in which he had to represent Argentina. He did it when things were going well and, especially, when the result was not good.
“He left behind all that young man who arrived at the National Team at just 17 years old and who quickly began to arouse admiration around the world. He left as the footballer who went through defeats, lost finals and moments of enormous pain. The captain went ahead when the criticism was louder than the applause.
“I swear I left everything on the pitch” is not just a parting phrase. It is also the summary of a way of representing the Argentina national team.”
“Because behind each goal there was work. Behind each title there was effort. Behind each celebration there were years of sacrifice, and behind each moment of glory there were also those difficult nights that made the road travelled even more valuable.
“Messi leaves behind a shirt that for more than two decades he took to places that seemed impossible. He leaves behind records, titles and extraordinary numbers. But, above all, it leaves one certainty: no one will be able to say that they did not try until the end.”
A career defined by commitment and sacrifice
Born on June 24, 1987, at the Garibaldi Italian Hospital in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe, Messi was the central protagonist of the 2026 World Cup, where he once again broke historical records and expanded a career that transcends generations.
“With the Albiceleste jersey, the Argentine captain has built a unique career: champion of the U-20 World Cup in 2005, gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and finally major consecrations that marked a golden era for the National Team, with the 2021 Copa América at the Maracanã, the 2022 Finalissima, the Qatar 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América in the United States.
“At the 2026 World Cup, Messi once again placed himself at the centre of the global stage, reaching new milestones that consolidate him as the top scorer in the history of World Cups and expanding a collection of records that reinforce his status as an unrepeatable footballer.”
Club success across three continents
His professional history began on October 16, 2004, at just 17 years old, at Barcelona in Spain, a club in which he played 778 games and scored 672 goals. There he won 35 titles, including local and international competitions, including 4 Champions Leagues, as well as multiple leagues, cups and Super Cups that projected him to the highest world level.
In 2021, Messi began a new stage at Paris Saint-Germain in France and currently defends the colours of Inter Miami in the US, an institution with which he continues to expand his sporting legacy at the international level.
“I swear I left everything on the pitch.”
And we, from the AFA, can respond with these few words: “Thank you, Leo”.
Messi’s titles: Argentina national team:
2005: U-20 World Cup
2008: Beijing Olympics
2021: Copa America
2022: Finalissima
2022: World Cup
2024: Copa America
- Lionel Messi retired from international football in 2024 after a 21-year career with the Argentina national team, starting in 2005.
- The Argentine Football Association paid tribute to Messi, highlighting his commitment and sacrifices throughout his career.
- Messi won major titles with Argentina including the 2005 U-20 World Cup, 2008 Olympic gold, 2021 Copa América, 2022 Finalissima, 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa América.
- Messi's club career began in 2004 with Barcelona, where he played 778 games, scored 672 goals, and won 35 titles including 4 Champions Leagues.
- After Barcelona, Messi played for Paris Saint-Germain starting in 2021 and currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States.
READ: Lionel Messi becomes record FIFA World Cup goalscorer
"Because Messi left everything in every game, in every tournament, in every World Cup and in every opportunity in which he had to represent Argentina. He did it when things were going well and, especially, when the result was not good.
"He left behind all that young man who arrived at the National Team at just 17 years old and who quickly began to arouse admiration around the world. He left as the footballer who went through defeats, lost finals and moments of enormous pain.
"I swear I left everything on the pitch" is not just a parting phrase. It is also the of a way of representing the Argentina national team."
"Because behind each goal there was work.
"Messi leaves behind a shirt that for more than two decades he took to places that seemed impossible. He leaves behind records, titles and extraordinary numbers. But, above all, it leaves one certainty: no one will be able to say that they did not try until the end."
Born on June 24, 1987, at the Garibaldi Italian Hospital in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe, Messi was the central protagonist of the 2026 World Cup, where he once again broke historical records and expanded a career that transcends generations.
"
"At the 2026 World Cup, Messi once again placed himself at the centre of the global stage, reaching new milestones that consolidate him as the top scorer in the history of World Cups and expanding a collection of records that reinforce his status as an unrepeatable footballer."
His professional history began on October 16, 2004, at just 17 years old, at Barcelona in Spain, a club in which he played 778 games and scored 672 goals.
In 2021, Messi began a new stage at Paris Saint-Germain in France and currently defends the colours of Inter Miami in the US, an institution with which he continues to expand his sporting legacy at the international level.
“I swear I left everything on the pitch."
Messi's titles: Argentina national team:
2005: U-20 World Cup
2008:
2021: Copa America
2022: Finalissima
2022: World Cup
2024: Copa America
