World Cup: Messi Told Argentina Teammates He Was Retiring Before Spain Final — Yanina Latorre

Argentine football icon Lionel Messi reportedly informed his teammates that he was retiring from international football before Argentina’s FIFA World Cup final defeat to Spain on Sunday.

The claim was made by Argentine journalist and football pundit Yanina Latorre, who said the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner delivered an emotional farewell speech in the dressing room before kickoff.

Argentina entered the final seeking to defend the World Cup title they won in Qatar in 2022 but fell short after Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in extra time to hand Spain a 1-0 victory.

Messi, who turned 39 during the tournament, was making his sixth World Cup appearance and is widely expected to have played his final edition of the competition. By the time the next World Cup is held, he will be 43 years old.

According to Latorre, the Inter Miami forward addressed his teammates before the final and informed them of his intention to step away from international football after the tournament.

“I already told it on the radio. Nothing happened, it was Messi’s farewell speech in the locker room. The end of the Messi era with the national team, and everyone broke down. It was all very emotional and it’s logical, they’re human beings,” she wrote on X.

She added that after the emotional moment, Messi encouraged his teammates to put the farewell aside and focus entirely on the task of facing Spain in the final.

Although Messi has yet to make any official announcement regarding his future with the national team, speculation over his retirement has continued to grow.

In September 2025, Argentina supporters paid tribute to the captain after what was then believed to be his final competitive home appearance during a 3-0 victory over Venezuela in a World Cup qualifying match.

Despite questions over his future, Messi once again demonstrated his quality throughout the 2026 World Cup, contributing eight goals and four assists in eight matches.

His performances saw him narrowly miss out on both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot awards, finishing behind Spain midfielder Rodri and France forward Kylian Mbappé respectively.

Messi remains Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer with 125 goals and 68 assists in 207 appearances, cementing his place as one of the nation’s greatest footballers.