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Will Lionel Messi continue, or is his time with the Argentine national team coming to an end?
Matt Slocum/AP/dpa
The soccer world is wondering. What will Lionel Messi do? Will he continue to play for Argentina? Or will he retire? A key factor could be the decision made by coach Lionel Scaloni, who made Messi’s golden era possible.
Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, was absent from the reception held for the World Cup runners-up in a chilly and rainy Buenos Aires. But what does the future hold for Lionel Messi on the Argentine national soccer team? The next international matches are just a few weeks away.
Not at all, after losing the World Cup final to Spain. After the game, the 39-year-old left the stadium in East Rutherford without saying a word. In a lengthy Instagram post posted just under 20 hours after the 0-1 loss in extra time, he wrote about immeasurable pain and that this wound needs time to heal. How long? And what happens next—not a word.
No official reasons were given. But Messi likely has good reasons. According to reports, he is set to fly to Rosario via Miami, where he has been playing for the local MLS club Inter since mid-2023. That’s where Messi is from. At the age of ten, he left the hometown of many great Argentine players and headed for Spain. His father, Jorge, was already with him back then. He also manages Messi. Messi’s father’s health issues, which the family confirmed at the start of the World Cup, could now be the reason Messi is traveling separately from the team—otherwise, it doesn’t fit with the close relationship between the captain and his teammates.
In 2006, Messi and Scaloni were both players on the World Cup roster. Under coach Scaloni, Messi enjoyed his best—and by far most successful—period with the national team. They won the Copa América twice (2021 and 2024) as well as the 2022 World Cup title. In addition, they won the 2022 Finalissima in a showdown between the South American champion and the then-European champion, Italy.
After many coaches had tried in vain to build a team for and around Messi, Scaloni put together a group that gives its all for Messi—a team that thrives on passion and determination and must hope for and trust in Messi’s soccer skills. Messi himself understands this and, in turn, simply sees himself as just another part of the team.
According to his biographer, when Scaloni was considering stepping down at one point during his tenure, he spoke with Messi—and decided to stay on. However, his contract expires at the end of the year, and he has expressed doubts about continuing. If Messi stays on, though, perhaps Scaloni could be persuaded to stay as well. And vice versa.
Letters of thanks and tributes from his teammates felt like farewells. Even Messi’s moment in front of the fans after the game, when he was moved to tears, looked like a goodbye. His age shouldn’t be overlooked either: Messi celebrated his 39th birthday during the XXL tournament.
He would have had enough time to make a decision before the final and announce it afterward. In 2016, driven by disappointment and on the spur of the moment following his third consecutive final loss (2014 World Cup, 2015 and 2016 Copa América), he announced his retirement. Less than two months later, he reversed his decision. In 2018, following the disappointment of being eliminated in the Round of 16 at the World Cup in Russia, he took a break without going into specific details about his future plans.
“Even though we’re all talking about this tournament as his last World Cup, the player from Rosario didn’t come into this World Cup with a firm decision: He never told those around him that he would play in this tournament and then retire. Therefore, it is unlikely that this was his final appearance,” wrote the Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports.
Despite failing to defend his title, he has achieved practically everything with the national team as well: 207 appearances, 125 goals. The public loves him after many years of skepticism. Unlike soccer icon Diego Maradona, who died in 2020, Messi’s career has been free of scandals. The fact that neither of them managed to successfully defend their title (Maradona lost to Germany in the 1990 final with Argentina) is another thing they have in common.
The first international break is already coming up in September, and the next major tournament—the Copa América—is set for 2028. Messi’s contract with Inter Miami remains in effect until then; it expires at the end of 2028. In the year of the next World Cup (2030)—which is set to feature an opening match in Buenos Aires—Messi would turn 43 during the tournament.
21.07.2026, 18:02
