“There isn’t much time left, and different chapters are coming to an end. This is one that hurts me a lot,” the 2022 World Cup winner wrote on Instagram.
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Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi, widely considered one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, announced Monday he is retiring from international play after more than two decades.
In an Instagram post Monday morning that depicted handwritten pages, Messi, 39, indicated he had originally thought about retiring two days after Argentina’s loss to Spain in the World Cup final.
“I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that, too,” Messi wrote in Spanish. He added that he always strove to bring happiness to his fans and make them feel proud to be Argentine through soccer.
“There isn’t much time left, and different chapters are coming to an end. This is one that hurts me a lot,” Messi wrote. “I love, I loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had, and I don’t have anything more to give.”
Messi is still expected to play in Major League Soccer in the United States. His contract with Inter Miami runs through the end of the 2028 MLS season.
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Messi also shared a video compilation of many of his iconic moments in the Argentinian team, including his 2022 World Cup win, and footage of himself as a child saying his dream was to play for the national team.
The footage played alongside Argentinian singer Soledad Pastorutti’s “Brindis,” a song about celebrating and cheering the end of an era.
Messi alluded to the recent loss of his father, Jorge Messi — who died Aug. 8 at the age of 68 after a long illness — as something that cemented his decision.
“After what happened with my dad, I’m even more convinced of this decision than before,” he said.
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Messi said he would now be supporting the sport from “the outside.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
