Lionel Messi announces retirement from international soccer with Argentina

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi announced on Instagram that he is retiring from the Argentina national team. Argentina captain Lionel Messi has retired from international soccer. The 39-year-old shared the news on Monday, more than a month after he made his final appearance for his country in the World Cup final . "After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the Argentina national team…" Messi said in an Instagram post . "It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. "I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football." Messi shared in a footnote that "*I wrote these words on July 21st, two days after the final. This year's World Cup was the sixth of Messi's storied career.

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