Messi announces retirement from international football
Lionel Messi has retired from international football, ending his Argentina career at 39. The announcement came after Argentina's 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final in July, when Messi made 207 appearances for his country.

How this story developed
Messi's father Jorge passed away earlier in August. Messi announced his retirement on Instagram, saying 'This hurts me a lot' and that the decision caused him pain.
Messi said in a social media announcement that he wrote the retirement letter two days after the World Cup final loss. He said his decision was made on July 21.
la Repubblica Frankfurter Allgemeine ZEIT ONLINE El Mundo — portada
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