207 national-team appearances, 125 goals, one World Cup, two Copa Américas – behind these numbers lies the full stop of an era.
On August 31 local time, at the age of 39, Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team via social media.
"This is a decision that breaks my heart – and still does, as I write these words. But I understand: the time has come."
The farewell letter was written on July 21, two days after the World Cup final defeat. He held it back for an entire month before releasing it – because his father passed away suddenly in August, and that grief finally steeled him to make the call.
207 matches, 125 goals, 68 assists. Six World Cups, 21 goals, and 12 assists – the most in history. Eight Ballon d'Or trophies, eight FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2022 he led the team to lift the World Cup trophy; in 2026 he reached the final once more. He is the first player ever to start in three World Cup finals.
So here's the question: Is Messi the absolute greatest in football history?
That question has sparked endless arguments for the past decade and more. Today, let's just put it bluntly
On pure talent, Messi stands in a league of his own.
Pelé has three World Cups. Maradona has the "Hand of God" and the Goal of the Century. But when it comes to the sheer art of football, no one makes the ball stick to their feet the way Messi does. Some call him an "alien" – yet the real Ronaldo's prime was too short. Others call him the "King of Football" – but the game in Pelé and Maradona's era was nowhere near as intense as today's.
On numbers, Messi has already shattered the ceiling.
91 goals in a single calendar year – unprecedented, and unlikely to be repeated. Eight Ballon d'Ors turned the "Messi-Ronaldo rivalry" into a "Messi solo show." Over a thousand career goals (club + national team), and the count is still rising. Ronaldo fans will argue "King of the Champions League," but the heaviest weight of all – a World Cup winner's medal – Messi claimed that in 2022.
On dominance, Messi has silenced every doubter.
After the 2014 World Cup final defeat, his longing gaze at the trophy pierced the hearts of millions. After missing a penalty in the 2016 Copa América final, he briefly quit the national team – back then, how many called him "soft" and said he didn't deserve to be mentioned alongside Maradona? And then? In 2022, with an Argentina side that few fancied, he stepped up and scored from the spot in a penalty shootout, lifting that long-awaited trophy after 36 years.
From a "Rosario boy abandoned by the national team" to a "national hero of Argentina" – it took Messi a full 21 years.
Of course, some will say: "Maradona is the one and only King. Messi doesn't have Maradona's leadership charisma."
But let me ask: what exactly is "leadership charisma"? Is it the cunning of the Hand of God? Is it the wildness of drug use and shooting at journalists? Messi, through silence, through perseverance, through getting up again and again after every fall, showed the world that a true leader carries his team through the darkest tunnel – and at the end, raises the trophy above his head.
The official Argentina national team account wrote in farewell: "What you leave behind is not just honours and victories, but loyalty, responsibility, and the fact that you never held back when wearing this shirt. Your name, your image, everything you gave for Argentina – it will forever be part of the blue-and-white history."
"I have emptied myself out. I can no longer give any more. And behind me, there are a group of outstanding young players – they deserve to be here."
That was Messi's final message to the national team. He could have played for another two years, padded his stats a little more. But he chose to turn away at the most dignified moment – leaving his place to the young, and leaving the arguments to history.
So, what about you?
Is Messi the greatest of all time in football? Or is it Maradona, Pelé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazário – who truly deserves that title of "the best ever"?
