Mother Celia Cuccittini reflects on family grief after the 39-year-old captain ends a historic international career marked by two Copa América titles and the 2022 World Cup
BUENOS AIRES — September 1, 2026:Lionel Messi has officially retired from international football, drawing a close to a legendary 21-year career with Argentina just weeks after losing his father and longtime representative, Jorge Messi.
Lionel Messi has brought an end to his storied international career with Argentina at the age of 39, closing a chapter that defined modern football and delivered his country every major international honor.
The announcement follows a period of profound personal loss for the Messi family. Jorge Messi, the forward’s father and lifelong agent who guided his trajectory from the youth fields of Rosario to global superstardom, died on August 8 at the age of 68 after a prolonged illness.
Speaking to the Argentine television program Intrusos on América TV, Messi’s mother, Celia Cuccittini, spoke openly about the emotional strain of navigating both her husband’s death and her son’s departure from the national team.
“I am still crying,” Cuccittini said. “Even though we already knew, the whole family is very sad, but the important thing is that he is happy.”
She recalled a recurring thought her late husband often voiced when contemplating the end of his son’s playing days: “His father always used to say, ‘What am I going to do when he doesn’t play anymore?’ And it all happened together. Incredible.”
Messi finalized his decision weeks before his father’s death. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner revealed that he drafted his farewell statement on July 21, two days after Argentina’s 1–0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. Despite the final loss, Messi concluded his international tournament career with an eight-goal, four-assist campaign.
Messi leaves La Albiceleste as Argentina’s all-time record appearance maker and leading goalscorer. His journey with the senior team began in August 2005, marked by early heartbreak in three Copa América finals and the 2014 World Cup final before an extraordinary late-career resurgence.
Under manager Lionel Scaloni, Messi captained Argentina to victory at the 2021 Copa América in Brazil, ending a 28-year senior trophy drought. He followed that triumph with the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 FIFA World Cup title in Qatar, and a successful defense at the 2024 Copa América in the United States.
While his international career is now complete, Messi remains under contract at club level with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, where he continues to compete in North American domestic and continental competitions.
