Argentina's legendary footballer Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football. On August 31, the footballer took to his official social media handle to announce the decision.

"After this time that passed from the final, thinking about it a lot, I want to inform everyone that I retire from the National Team... It was a decision that hurt and hurt in the soul but I understand that it is time. I swear I always left everything, not only the last years that everything was won before too and I always fought and left everything for this shirt, for giving them joy and making them proud to be Argentine through football. There is little left and stages are closing and this is one that hurts me a lot. I love, I loved and will always love being in the National Team. I emptied myself, I don't have more to give and apart come very big guys back that deserve to be," he wrote on his official social media handle.