From the first red card to ending the long wait: unforgettable moments in Lionel Messi's journey with Argentina

Twenty years of giving everything.

Lionel Messi announced on Monday that he was retiring from international football with the Argentina national team, through a post on his Instagram account that included a picture of a handwritten page from his notebook.

The forward said he had taken the decision only two days after Argentina's 1-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. The death of his father, Jorge Messi, on 8 August reinforced that choice.

With that announcement, a journey of more than 20 years comes to an end.

Since making his international debut in 2005, Messi has given supporters countless reasons to celebrate, producing memorable moments and winning titles that will define his legacy forever.

He guided the national side to World Cup glory, two Copa America crowns, Olympic gold and the Finalissima, establishing himself as one of the players most deeply connected to the history and badge of Argentina.

As Argentina fans across the world deal with heartbreak today, ESPN looks back at Messi's greatest moments, the ones that will keep his name forever etched in the history books of the national team.

2022: finally a World Cup winner in Qatar

Everyone remembers the instant Messi dropped to his knees after Gonzalo Montiel converted the decisive penalty against France to make Argentina champions of the 2022 World Cup.

Argentina had waited 36 years for that moment. Messi delivered it, adding the one trophy that had escaped him to an already glittering collection of honours.

In the final itself, he was everywhere. He scored twice in normal time and then calmly converted Argentina's first penalty in the shootout to put his side on course.

More than 15 years of service with the national team had led to that moment: the most important victory of his life.

2026: Messi becomes the World Cup's all-time top scorer

How would Messi fare at the 2026 World Cup at the age of 39? Many asked that question. He had set an extraordinary standard with his historic triumph four years earlier, and in the United States he answered every doubt with one superb performance after another.

History called again. Messi became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history when he scored against Austria in Argentina's group-stage match, taking his total to 18 goals.

Argentina's captain entered that game on 16 goals, having netted a hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria, and he needed only one more to move past Germany great Miroslav Klose.

An early missed penalty threatened to knock him off course. Messi brushed it aside and went on to score twice.

Kylian Mbappe eventually moved ahead of him, with the France star ending the tournament on 22 goals, but for most supporters the night against Austria will remain the one when Messi made history.

2016: Messi retires from international football after losing the Copa America to Chile

Monday was not the first time Messi had declared his retirement from Argentina duty. Back in 2016, the Inter Miami captain stepped away after losing the Copa America final to Chile, leaving the journalists gathered in the mixed zone stunned after the match.

Messi told a group of journalists: "My thinking now, and after thinking about it in the dressing room, is that I'm done playing for the national team."

He added: "I gave it my all. This is the fourth time I've played in a final and I couldn't win it. I tried everything possible. This hurts me more than anyone else, but it's clear that this isn't for me. I want, more than anyone else, to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately it didn't happen."

That separation did not last long. Messi returned and went on to make history, winning back-to-back Copa America titles and the World Cup while also smashing individual records.

2006: first World Cup appearance

16 June 2006 changed the course of World Cup history forever. That day, an 18-year-old Messi made the first of his many appearances at the tournament, coming on for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro in the 74th minute of a group-stage match.

He needed very little time to announce himself on the world stage. Within minutes of entering the pitch, Messi had scored, and he ended the game with one goal and one assist as Argentina stormed to a 6-0 victory.

It was the first of many joyful memories he would give Argentina supporters.

2022: Argentina's group-stage match against Mexico

Argentina's history might have unfolded very differently had it not been for Messi's brilliant goal against Mexico during the World Cup in Qatar.

With the danger of a group-stage elimination hanging over them in their final match, Argentina went into the interval with the score level. The second half was when they had to make the difference.

Messi did exactly that. In the 64th minute, he hammered a fierce left-footed strike into the net to spark a 2-0 victory, a result that ultimately helped launch Argentina's run to the title.

2014: World Cup final defeat to Germany

Messi reached his first World Cup final in 2014, when Argentina faced Germany. He played a central role as his team stood firm, but Mario Gotze settled the contest in extra time.

The defeat did not stop Messi from winning the Golden Ball, awarded for his outstanding displays throughout the tournament. He scored four goals and supplied one assist in seven matches at the 2014 World Cup.

From that point, Messi promised himself he would return stronger and win the World Cup for Argentina. He achieved it eight years later.

2021: Argentina end their trophy drought by winning the Copa America

Messi had fallen short in 2007, 2015 and 2016. Then, as Argentina captain, he finally lifted the 2021 Copa America trophy.

A 1-0 victory over Brazil at the historic Maracana in Rio de Janeiro made Argentina champions and brought an end to a 28-year wait for silverware.

It took Messi six years to go from the pain of two final defeats to lifting the very trophy that had once driven him to announce his retirement from international football.

2005: Messi makes his national-team debut and is sent off immediately

Messi, then 18, played his first match for the Argentina national team on 17 August 2005 in a friendly against Hungary in the capital city of Budapest.

That day brought mixed emotions for the teenager. He came on as a second-half substitute and was shown a straight red card just seconds later.

It was far from the ideal beginning. But across decades of brilliance, Messi more than made up for that dismissal.

2010: the World Cup with Maradona as coach

Two of the greatest footballers in history came together in 2010, when Diego Maradona coached the young Lionel Messi with the Argentina national team at the World Cup.

Argentina's campaign itself was not one to cherish on the field. They were knocked out by Germany in the quarter-finals. Off the field, however, the tournament left a lasting impression.

For Argentines, it was the only opportunity to see the two captains most closely linked with the history of the national team united in some form at a World Cup.

2026: World Cup semi-final against England

Argentina supporters will never forget the win over historic rivals England in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup.

Messi said: "Even though it was just one match, we lived through some special moments. The fans wanted this win more than any other, because of what it means to face England in the semi-final and to reach another World Cup final."

Two assists from Messi turned the match around. Argentina came from behind to win 2-1 and secure their place in the final.

The captain also equalled Diego Maradona's achievement by getting the better of England on the international stage, 40 years after the victory in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup, the match that gave the world the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century".

2026: World Cup final defeat to Spain

Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final brought Messi's international career to a painful close.

Messi fought for more than 120 minutes despite mental and physical exhaustion, but Argentina fell agonisingly short in their attempt to win a second successive World Cup title.

That final defeat will not define his tournament. The 2026 World Cup will always be associated with Messi's ability to break records and make history at the age of 39.

Right until the final minute, in his last tournament with Argentina, Messi kept giving everything he had for the millions of supporters watching around the world.