Football: Messi's greatest moments with Argentina

World champion and two-time Copa America winner with Argentina, Lionel Messi ended his international career on Wednesday after 21 years in the Albiceleste jersey, for which he is the top scorer.

A look back at the most memorable moments of "La Pulga" with the national team.

2006: Breakthrough at the World Cup

Ten months after his very first appearance in the national team - a fiery debut cut short by an expulsion less than a minute after entering the game - Messi was called up by José Pékerman for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The Rosario native was brought on in the 74th minute of the second group match, on June 16, 2006, when Argentina were already leading 3-0 against Serbia-Montenegro.

Providing a decisive assist for Hernan Crespo just four minutes after coming on as a substitute, he later became a goalscorer himself to seal Argentina's resounding victory (6-0), all before he had even turned 19.

2014: So far, yet so near

After two consecutive quarter-final eliminations against Germany (2006 and 2010), Argentina faced their nemesis again in the final of the 2014 World Cup.

While he had not found the opening during the previous World Cup, Messi this time scored four goals and provided one assist during the tournament, in which he was named best player after the final.

The Barça striker, who became captain of the Albiceleste, remained powerless against the Mannschaft, who were crowned world champions after a breathtaking extra time (1-0).

2016: First fleeting farewell

As glorious at club level as he is unlucky with the national team, Lionel Messi has suffered a string of setbacks with Argentina: beaten by Chile in the final of the Copa America in 2015, a year after their failure at the World Cup, the team led by Gerardo Martino intends to take their revenge in the final of the Copa, on June 26, 2016.

Forced into a penalty shootout, just like the previous year, the Albiceleste once again failed against the Chileans after missed attempts by Lucas Biglia... and Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi.

In despair, the Argentinian No. 10 announced his international retirement at just 29 years old. Begging an entire nation – from the iconic Diego Maradona to President Mauricio Macri – to reconsider his decision, he returned to the national team two months later.

2021: Continental gold, at last

On the verge of leaving Barcelona after seventeen seasons in Catalonia, Lionel Messi does not seem affected during the Copa America-2021 in Brazil: joint top scorer and top passer of the tournament, the Argentinian leads his team to the final against the Seleção.

On July 10, 2021, in hostile territory, the Albiceleste relied on Angel Di Maria to triumph in pain (1-0).

After three defeats in the final (2007, 2015 and 2016), Messi finally wins the continental title, and savors his first major triumph with Argentina.

2022: On top of the world

Highly motivated under Lionel Scaloni's orders, "La Pulga" dreams of achieving the double with the World Cup hosted in Qatar.

Brilliant during the knockout matches (5 goals and 2 assists from the round of 16 onwards), Lionel Messi led Argentina to the final.

On December 18, 2022, in Lusail, the captain of Argentina lived up to his status by scoring a brace against France, to which Kylian Mbappé responded with a hat trick to postpone the decision to penalties (3-3).

The crowning achievement came in the form of his teammate Gonzalo Montiel, who converted his penalty after two French misses, securing a third star for Argentina. At 35, Messi had finally won everything.

2026: End of reign in New Jersey

After a second continental title in 2024, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner dreams of one last golden dance at the North American World Cup, the sixth World Cup of his career.

This extraordinary competition, expanded to 48 nations and contested in three countries (United States, Mexico and Canada), he left his mark on from the very start of Argentina's campaign against Algeria, securing a hat trick a week before celebrating his 39th birthday.

He thus joined Germany's Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup goalscoring charts before taking (temporarily) sole possession of the throne five days later, thanks to a brace against Austria.

He also scored against Jordan and then in the round of 32 against Cape Verde, netting his eighth goal of the tournament on July 7 in the round of 16 during the miraculous victory against Egypt (3-2). But this goal, his 21st in World Cup history (one shy of Kylian Mbappé's record), would also be his last: scoreless in the quarter-final against Switzerland (3-1) and then in the semi-final against England (2-1), he failed to find the net in the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium. And he couldn't prevent Spain's triumph (1-0).

"The pain is very intense and this wound will have a hard time healing," he wrote the next day on his Instagram account.