Argentina captain and Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi on Monday announced his retirement from international football. The announcement came minutes after Argentina lost to Chile on penalties in the final of the Copa America Centenario, where Messi missed his penalty. This was his third straight loss in the final of a major tournament, after the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America.
"For me, the national team is over. I've done all I can, it hurts not to be a champion," Messi said. The 29-year-old has scored 55 goals for his country in 112 appearances. Messi had criticised the Argentine football association (AFA) before the final, saying that he had a backlog of complaints with the body.
Messi will continue to play for his club FC Barcelona.
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