Also known as: Argentina star Lionel Messi · the Argentine star · Argentina's superstar Lionel Messi · Messis · Argentina's miracle man · Argentina skipper Messi · Argentine star · superstar Lionel Messi · Argentina's football star · Argentina superstar
Lionel Messi — Argentina football icon who retired from international play after 207 caps and 125 goals, recently announced retirement following 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain.
Messi departure leaves Argentina facing rebuild after golden era By AFP September 02, 2026 02:45 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter A file photo shosw Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrating after winning the FI …
Messi legacy will 'live forever', says Beckham By AFP September 01, 2026 11:01 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter A file photo shosw Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrating after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 …
Six defining moments of Lionel Messi's Argentina career By AFP September 01, 2026 10:05 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stad …
Audio By VocalizeLionel Messi, widely considered the greatest footballer in history, has officially drawn the curtain on his legendary 21-year international career. …
Audio By VocalizeLionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on Monday, six weeks on from Argentina's defeat in the World Cup final and after over 200 appearances for his country stretching across more than two decades. …
… The 27-year-old won the Golden Boot at the World Cup by notching 10 goals, meaning he has netted 22 at the tournament in his career, keeping him one above Lionel Messi, with both players surpassing Miroslav Klose's previous record of 16. …
… Xavi won four Champions Leagues with the Catalan giants during an illustrious playing career, and sits second on their all-time list of most appearances for Barca, behind only Lionel Messi. …
… After Lionel Messi's Argentina beat England 2-1 in a tense World Cup semi-final, several Argentina players held up a banner saying: "The Falklands are Argentine". …
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31, 2026, ending a 21-year career with Argentina during which the team won three major titles including the 2022 World Cup. Argentina now faces a transition period with questions surrounding coach Lionel Scaloni and other ageing players.
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31, 2026, ending a 21-year career with Argentina during which the team won three major titles including the 2022 World Cup. Argentina now faces a transition period with questions surrounding coach Lionel Scaloni and other ageing players.
David Beckham said Lionel Messi's "legacy will live forever" after the Argentina legend announced his retirement from international football on August 31, 2026, following 207 caps and 125 goals for his country.
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on Monday, six weeks after Argentina's defeat in the World Cup final, concluding a career spanning more than two decades and over 200 appearances. AFP reviews the defining moments of his international career.
Lionel Messi, 39, has announced his retirement from international football after 21 years with Argentina. His decision came roughly six weeks after Argentina lost the 2026 FIFA World Cup final 1–0 to Spain, and three weeks after the death of his father and longtime manager.
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on Monday, six weeks after Argentina's defeat in the World Cup final, ending a career spanning more than two decades and over 200 appearances for his country. AFP Sport reviews the defining moments of his Argentina career.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said Kylian Mbappe deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or, arguing the award should go to "the best player in the world" rather than be decided by World Cup or Champions League success. Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history during the 2026 tournament and was the top scorer in La Liga and the Champions League last season.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said he values 40 goals with titles and team effort over 60 goals scored individually, following Mbappe's hat-trick against Real Sociedad as the 2026/27 La Liga season gets underway.
Xavi Hernández, newly appointed head coach of the Netherlands national team, vowed to restore the attacking football style the Oranje are known for. He said playing offensive, dominating football will bring better results after the team's disappointing recent World Cup campaign.
FIFA suspended Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes for 10 international matches and fined him $90,000 for his behaviour during clashes with Spain players in the World Cup final on July 19, which Spain won 1-0.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane received his second European Golden Shoe after scoring the most goals in Europe's top divisions last season. The 33-year-old said he hopes to win the Ballon d'Or after what he calls his "best season ever," during which he scored 73 goals for club and country.
Lionel Messi's penalty was saved and he received a yellow card as Inter Miami lost 4-1 to Nashville in an MLS top-of-the-table clash on Saturday, with Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar scoring second-half goals for the hosts. Nashville leads the league with 43 points, while Inter Miami sit second with 38 points.
Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona's former coach and 2010 World Cup winner with Spain, has been appointed head coach of the Netherlands national team on a four-year deal, becoming their first foreign manager in 48 years. He will lead the Oranje's Euro 2028 and 2030 World Cup campaigns.
Lionel Messi made an emotional return to play for Inter Miami on Wednesday following his father Jorge's death at age 68, coming on at half-time to a massive ovation. Inter Miami were knocked out of the Leagues Cup in a 3-2 loss to Mexico's Leon.
Lionel Messi said he has "serious doubts" about continuing to play football for "much longer" after the death of his father Jorge Messi, aged 68, who was also his agent. Messi, 39, whose contract with Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2028 season, made the statement on social media following his father's death last week.
Lionel Messi, 39, said he has "serious doubts" about continuing to play football for "much longer" following the death of his father Jorge Messi, aged 68, who was also his agent. Messi reflected on his father's absence from the 2026 World Cup final, which Argentina lost 1–0 to Spain.
Argentina football icon Lionel Messi attended a private ceremony on Sunday to bid farewell to his father Jorge, who passed away at age 68 following a battle with cancer. Messi arrived from Miami with his wife and children, and a private ceremony with some Argentine national squad teammates was scheduled to take place at a cemetery in Perez, near Rosario.
Inter Miami lost 2-1 to Monterrey in a Leagues Cup match on Saturday with captain Lionel Messi absent following his father Jorge Messi's death at age 68 in Argentina. Teams observed a minute of silence before the match.
Jorge Messi, the father and agent of football star Lionel Messi, has died aged 68 in Rosario, Argentina. Newell's Old Boys, Messi's childhood club, announced his death and noted his essential role in supporting every step of the player's career.
Jorge Messi, the father and agent of eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, has died aged 68, his childhood club Newell's Old Boys announced on Saturday. A former metal factory worker, Jorge was Lionel's first coach in Argentina and moved to Barcelona with his 13-year-old son in 2000.
Lionel Messi scored twice as Inter Miami defeated Atletico San Luis 4-2 on Wednesday, bringing his Leagues Cup goal total to a record 14 goals in the competition.
Lionel Messi scored twice to reach 14 goals in the Leagues Cup, breaking the competition record, as Inter Miami defeated Atletico San Luis 4-2 in the 2026 edition's opening group match.
Lionel Messi returned to training with Inter Miami on Wednesday, 10 days after Argentina lost the World Cup final 1-0 to Spain on July 19. The 39-year-old forward has not yet clarified whether he will continue playing for the national side.
Inter Miami defeated Montreal 1-0 on Saturday with Casemiro making his Major League Soccer debut, as Luis Suarez scored a penalty in the 81st minute. The victory was marred by a serious head injury to Miami's German Berterame, who was taken from the pitch in an ambulance after clashing heads with Montreal's Efrain Morales.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha and Norway striker Erling Haaland were named in the fan-voted FIFA World Cup dream team after standout performances during their teams' unexpected runs. Vozinha topped the goalkeeper vote with 39.6% despite Spain's Unai Simon winning the Golden Glove.
Nearly 63 million Americans watched Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup final held in New Jersey, with Fox's English-language broadcast drawing 38.9 million viewers and Telemundo's Spanish-language coverage reaching 23.9 million, shattering the 22.3 million viewers who watched the 2022 final.
Inter Miami announced the signing of Brazil international Casemiro, a 34-year-old midfielder who left Manchester United as a free agent, but Major League Soccer immediately opened an investigation into allegations of tampering by the club over the deal.
Google data shows Kenyan football fans searched for far more than match results during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with growing curiosity about football traditions, technology, players and shared viewing experiences. The most searched matches in Kenya were France versus Morocco, Brazil versus Norway, Brazil versus Japan, Norway versus England, and Portugal versus Spain.
Spain's World Cup champions paraded through Madrid on an open-top bus before an estimated two million people, with players and coach Luis de la Fuente celebrating at Cibeles square after the team beat Argentina 1-0.
Spain's World Cup-winning squad paraded through Madrid on an open-top bus in front of an estimated two million people, then gathered at Cibeles square where coach Luis de la Fuente and players celebrated on stage. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win the tournament.
Thousands of Argentine fans welcomed their national football team home after losing the World Cup final 1-0 to Spain, with coach Lionel Scaloni and players arriving without star Lionel Messi. Despite the tournament loss, fans celebrated the squad's efforts and effort to return to the championship final.