Lionel Messi has brought the curtain down on his international career with Argentina, leaving behind a World Cup scoring record that stands as one of the most remarkable in football history.

Across multiple tournaments, Messi found the net at the sport's greatest stage time and again — converting free kicks, tap-ins, penalties, and long-range strikes to etch his name permanently into the competition's record books.

A journey from heartbreak to glory

For years, Argentina and Messi endured the anguish of near-misses on the World Cup stage. The forward carried the weight of a nation's expectations through every campaign, often delivering brilliance that was not enough to bring the trophy home.

That wait ended at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where Messi lifted the trophy at last — completing a career arc that many consider the finest in the history of the game. His goals throughout that tournament, including a stunning double in the final against France, were the defining moments of his international legacy.

The numbers that define an era

Messi's World Cup tally places him among the all-time greats of the competition. Each goal carried its own story — moments of individual genius that shifted matches, steadied nerves, and silenced doubters across the globe.

His retirement from international football marks the end of an era not just for Argentina, but for the sport itself. A generation of African fans who watched him dazzle from São Paulo to Lusail now say farewell to one of the most gifted players the World Cup has ever seen.

With FIFA World Cup 2026 on the horizon — hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — a new chapter begins without Messi in an Argentina shirt. The stage is set for the next generation of stars to fill a void that, by any measure, will be extraordinarily difficult to fill.