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Lionel Messi’s 10 Most Iconic Moments With Argentina—Ranked

Lionel Messi has dropped the curtain on his career with Argentina, leaving behind a collection of everlasting memories.
Roberto Casillas
Lionel Messi’s Argentina career reached the lowest of lows before soaring to the highest of highs.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina career reached the lowest of lows before soaring to the highest of highs. / Thiago Ribeiro/NurPhoto/Getty Images (Messi Copa América title), Marc Atkins/Getty Images (Messi with World Cup), Hector Vivas/LatinContent/Getty Images (Messi dejected)

After more than two decades of donning the Albiceleste shirt, Lionel Messi has officially retired from international soccer, closing his unforgettable chapter with the Argentina national team.

Messi penned an emotional letter where he announced his Argentina retirement. “It was a decision that hurt and hurts in the soul, but I understand that the moment has come,” the legendary No. 10 wrote.

Although the announcement came at the end of August after he has already rejoined Inter Miami, Messi revealed he wrote the letter just two days after Argentina fell to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.

The news sent shockwaves all over world soccer’s landscape, with the greatest player of all time stepping off the global stage. “There’s little time left and chapters are ending, and this one hurts a lot,” Messi confessed.

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Messi’s career with Argentina spanned the better part of the 21st century, creating memories that will be immortalized as some of the best in soccer history.

Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the 10 most iconic moments of Lionel Messi’s international career.

10. The Debut to Secure Argentina’s Future

On June 29, 2004, Messi put on the Albiceleste shirt for the very first time in a friendly match against Paraguay that the Argentina soccer federation (AFA) organized exclusively because of Messi.

The 17-year-old had yet to make his senior Barcelona debut, but he was already being tempted to represent Spain on the international stage. AFA moved fast and organized the friendly match so that Messi could play with La Abiceleste and, as a result, avoid having him poached by Spain.

Messi scored a goal as Argentina’s U–20 side defeated Paraguay’s U–20 side 6–0, and the rest is history. To add a little more lore to the match, Messi’s Argentina debut took place on the pitch of club team Argentinos Juniors—the same stadium where Diego Maradona made his debut and which now bears his name.

9. The Last Official Game on Argentinian Soil

Argentina had already comfortably secured its spot in the 2026 World Cup when it hosted Venezuela at the colossal Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires in its last match of the Conmebol qualifiers. Nevertheless, it was a can’t-miss game.

On Sept. 5, 2025, Messi held back tears while warming up before the match vs. Venezuela, overly aware that this would be his final competitive match ever for La Albiceleste on home soil. But Messi put on a show in his farewell party, scoring a brace as Argentina beat Venezuela 3–0 on the night.

“Being able to finish this way here is what I always dreamed of,” he said after the match. It was a dream final showing on home soil, one last electrifying display for Argentina fans to savor.

8. Messi Turns Back the Clock Against England

Staring down elimination against Argentina’s greatest international arch-nemesis not named Brazil, a 39-year-old Messi put on the superhero cape and took over the 2026 World Cup semifinals, igniting Argentina’s comeback against England.

A pair of Messi assists in the dying minutes of the game saw Argentina defeat the Three Lions 2–1 to reach consecutive World Cup finals. In a game that featured some of the biggest soccer stars in the world, Messi still burned brightest. He completed nine dribbles, the most any player registered in any game of the 2026 tournament and the first to do so against England in a World Cup match since Maradona in the iconic 1986 quarterfinals.

When Argentina needed him most, Messi turned back the clock and delivered his last-ever otherworldly performance on the world’s biggest stage. Even as it happened, everyone knew they were witnessing one of the last magical moments of the greatest wizard of them all.

7. Singlehandedly Taking Argentina to 2018 World Cup

Lionel Messi vs. Ecuador in 2017.
Argentina qualified to the 2018 World Cup thank’s to a Messi hat-trick. / Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Argentina was an absolute mess during the Jorge Sampaoli era and entered the last game of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers needing to defeat Ecuador away to simply make the tournament. To make matters worse, the hosts took an early lead. Then Messi appeared.

In what many still consider his best individual display for Argentina, Messi overcame the growing adversity, and despite the largely underwhelming cast of characters playing alongside him, he dragged Sampaoli’s men to the 2018 World Cup with a sensational hat-trick.

"Te amo, genio. Gracias, genio (I love you, genius. Thank you, genius),” the Argentinian commentators famously said in the broadcast after Messi completed his hat-trick.

6. Rock Bottom

Lionel Messi after losing 2016 Copa America final.
Messi was inconsolable after losing the 2016 Copa América final. / Ira L. Black/Corbis/Getty Images

The 2016 Copa América final was far from a great moment for Messi—in fact probably the low-point of his career—but it was undeniable a landmark moment in the scope of his international journey, one that only exalts what he’d go on to accomplish.

Messi and Argentina fell to Chile on penalties in the continental final for a second year in a row, with the No. 10 skying his kick in the shootout. It was the third summer in a row Messi lost a major final with Argentina, twice against Chile after losing to Germany in the 2016 World Cup final. At this stage in his career, Messi had yet to lift a trophy at the senior international level.

The pain of yet another heartbreaking defeat prompted Messi to announce his retirement from the national team immediately after the final. Obviously, he would eventually back-track and return to the national team, but it was a moment that marked his career for a lengthy period and that encapsulated what Messi’s international career looked like at the time.

5. A Homecoming Befitting a World Champion

The scenes at the Monumental in Buenos Aires when Argentina hosted Panama in its first home game after winning the 2022 World Cup were simply goosebump-inducing. Over 100,000 Argentines serenading the world champions, with Messi as the leading man.

Messi’s face said it all. It was the face of a man that, after almost 20 years of trying, had finally accomplished his life’s mission. To make it even sweeter, after two free-kicks slammed the posts, third time was a charm for Messi as he scored a brilliant free-kick late that sent an already rocking crowd to even greater heights—it was also the 800th goal of his career.

Following the fairytale that was Qatar 2022, the reception Messi and the rest of Lionel Scaloni’s side got in the friendly against Panama was the icing on the cake. After years in which Messi was harshly judged by Argentina fans for his lack of international success, this felt like the day where he finally became a national deity.

4. The End of the Road

Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final was historic in itself, but now the lore of that game at MetLife Stadium has increased significantly given it’s now officially the last match of Messi’s international career.

Winning a second World Cup wasn’t to be for Messi and Scaloni’s Argentina, deservedly defeated by a Spain side that dominated the then-monarchs. Messi was contained for almost the entirety of the match and was powerless to avoid the painful defeat.

Tears streamed down his face after losing his second career tournament final. But this defeat had an entirely different feel to the one he endured in Brazil 2014. Messi had nothing left to prove in 2026, he’d already delivered Argentina the trophy in 2022. For much of the tournament, he looked like he was playing and driving his side to victory simply for the right to keep on playing. For his story with La Albiceleste to last a little longer.

Messi’s last dance for Argentina didn’t have a happy ending. The sight of him lifting his second world title would’ve been a brilliant one, but the sight of him, at 39, having won it all, crying on the pitch with the silver medal around his neck seemingly aware that this was the end of the road was, in a way, equally beautiful.

3. Back-to-Back South American Champions

Argentina 2024 Copa América champions.
The 2024 Copa América was Messi’s (middle) last title with Argentina. / Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Messi didn’t have his greatest individual showing during the 2024 Copa América, collecting just one goal and one assist in six games and battling injuries throughout the tournament—which makes his 2026 World Cup campaign even more impressive.

Yet, he was still the heart and soul of an Argentina side that lifted the trophy for the second-straight time. An ankle injury forced Messi to get withdrawn in the final, and he burst into tears soon after he arrived at the bench. Leandro Paredes, who was sitting next to him, later revealed the sight of his broken captain only heightened his and the rest of Argentina’s desire to find a way to win. As was the case during the Scaloni era, La Albiceleste players seemingly wanted to win for Messi’s sake rather than their own.

In the end, Messi lifted the Copa América title, the third major trophy Argentina won in the span of four years, marking the greatest era of success in La Albiceleste’s illustrious history.

2. The First Title

Lionel Messi Copa América 2021.
Messi finally won a trophy with Argentina in the sweetest way possible. / Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images

After over a decade-and-a-half of trying, Messi finally won a major international title in the 2021 Copa América, ending Argentina’s 28-year drought.

Messi was sensational during the 2021 Copa América, leading the tournament with four goals and five assists to will Argentina to glory. The script had a perfect ending as Argentina defeated Brazil at the iconic Maracaná Stadium 1–0 and Messi, at last, lifted his first senior international trophy.

The image of Messi collapsing on the pitch after the final whistle and all of his teammates rushing to congratulate him will live on forever in soccer folklore. This was the turning point of Messi’s international career—and international soccer in general—the day that, after years of digging, he finally struck gold.

1. Conquering World Cup Glory, At Last

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi conquered his final peak in 2022. / Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Messi became immortal on Dec. 18, 2022, when in his fifth time of asking, he finally delivered Argentina its third World Cup title, essentially completing soccer in the process.

Qatar 2022 was Messi’s magnum-opus, a World Cup campaign defined by his greatness. From that goal against Mexico which ignited Argentina’s run. The beautiful assist for Nahuel Molina’s opener against the Netherlands. Twisting and turning Joško Gvardiol in the rout of Croatia in the semifinals. The penalties under pressure he so calmly dispatched.

Then came the absolute spectacle that was the final against France. If Messi was ever going to win the World Cup, of course it had to be after winning one of, if not, the greatest games in tournament history.

Messi scored a brace in the final, but Kylian Mbappé refused to let the then holders go away quietly and responded with a hat-trick that forced a penalty shootout. Messi led the way, and Argentina was flawless from the spot until Gonzalo Montiel buried the winning penalty, crowning Messi immortal.

After spending the entirety of his international career being compared to Maradona, Messi led Argentina to its first World Cup title since Maradona in 1986. Messi was named the player of the tournament and when he was finally able to kiss the shiny golden trophy on the podium at Lusail Stadium one thing became clear: eternal glory was finally his.

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