From our other sites
The story
Argentina national team forward Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the national team via his own Instagram on August 31. At 39 years old, he racked up 207 caps and 125 goals over 21 years. He reportedly had already written his farewell message two days after Argentina’s loss to Spain in the 2026 North/Central America World Cup final, and revealed that his conviction in the decision grew even stronger after the death of his father, Jorge, on August 8. On 5ch, opinions split over the “greatest of all time” debate involving Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mbappé, the possibility of a national-team comeback, and the pros and cons of alleged “favorable treatment” from FIFA and his club.
Lionel Messi Announces Retirement from Argentina National Team, “I gave everything. There’s nothing left to give” — 207 Caps, 125 Goals Over 21 Years
Argentina national team forward Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the national team via his official Instagram on the 31st, local time. The 39-year-old Messi revealed the decision roughly a month and a half after this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026 (North/Central America World Cup) final. “It’s a decision that pains my soul, but the time has come,” he said, closing the book on a national-team career spanning 21 years.
Messi reportedly wrote his farewell message on July 21, two days after the World Cup final loss to Spain. His father, Jorge, then passed away on August 8. In this latest post, Messi revealed that his father’s death left him “more certain of the decision than before.”
Source: footballchannel.jp / Original article here
What people said
Put "soccer" in the thread title, you idiot
Don't get so worked up, baseball-brain (someone who only thinks in baseball terms)
First time I've heard of him
Nah
his monstrous decisiveness this time basically put an end to the GOAT debate
and bowing out after a blowout World Cup loss is a clean way to finish it too
as people
That's only a thing with casual fans
anyone who's actually watched a fair amount already knows better, so it's a non-issue
No way, no way (ヾﾉ・∀・｀)
Ohtani's the real GOAT
he'll come back to the national team right before the next World Cup
Ugh… I don't want to see that… that'd be disillusioning
But you need Messi's power to make the finals
oh wait, isn't the next one co-hosted by multiple countries so Argentina gets an automatic spot??
he was already at Barcelona with Ronaldinho back when I was in junior high, and he's been at the top of the world ever since
a guy staying elite for 20-plus years is never happening again lol
A superstar on the level of a living Michael Jackson
you should burn this into your memory
he was already done two World Cups ago
he never reached the godlike level of Maradona
Maradona's peak was higher, but Messi's average is higher
Maradona had plenty of years where he was flat-out bad, to begin with
Still better than getting kicked out mid-tournament for doping
Italy's economy is overtaking France's, and Korea used to vent its frustration by beating Japan at soccer, but
now it's the other way around
Germany, which got worse at soccer, has a booming economy
will he live long enough to become Argentina's manager?
Maradona was alive, at least, and forced his way into the manager job despite huge domestic opposition
since Zidane's managing France, there's probably a path for Messi to become a manager too after he retires
I think Messi said he doesn't want to be a manager
I recall him saying he'd rather be some kind of coach or staff member
Just like the Middle East tournament four years ago, this North/Central America tournament was once again the Messi and Mbappé show
good work out there (乙 = casual sign-off, "thanks for the effort")
Funny how team balance works — even with those two together, they were still about the weakest link in PSG in recent years
Background and Talking Points
It’s easy to misread Messi’s national-team retirement as also ending his club career — it isn’t; this is specifically his retirement from the Argentina national team. The announcement came a month and a half after the World Cup final defeat, and the recent death of his father, Jorge, is said to have factored into the decision. Opinions in the thread split over timing — whether he should have stepped away after winning the 2022 tournament — and over the ever-present “greatest of all time” debate involving Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mbappé, with no consensus reached. Some voices pointed to favorable treatment from FIFA or his club, though the article offers no evidence for this, so it’s best read as just one perspective among many.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Lionel Messi Announces Retirement from Argentina National Team, “I gave everything. There’s nothing left to give” — 207 Caps, 125 Goals Over 21 Years“.
Leave a Reply