Fifa president Gianni Infantino led the tributes to Argentina skipper Lionel Messi, who announced his retirement from international football just over a month after playing in the 2026 World Cup final.

The level of emotion and humanity Messi showed in his Argentina farewell note shows that he is still not over the criticism he got in the past for not winning as much with his country as he did with his club.

Lionel Messi's decade of dominance with Argentina that almost never happened will go down as one of football's greatest ever stories.

Just weeks after finishing as runners-up in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi has now announced his international retirement . While Messi will still continue to play MLS, he has now bid goodbye to his time with Argentina’s national team.