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Lionel Messi has called time on his Argentina career. The Inter Miami star announced his international retirement on Monday.
Writing in an official statement on his Instagram account, Messi said: "After all this time since the final match, and after a great deal of thought, I want to announce to everyone that I have decided to retire from playing with the national team."
He added: "It was a painful decision and it still hurts me deep down, but I know the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave everything I had, not only during the recent years in which we won everything, but before that too, and I always fought and gave all I have for this shirt, to make you happy and to make you feel proud of being Argentinian through football."
"There is not much left, and the stages have started to come to an end, and this is one of them that hurts me a great deal," he continued. "I love, I have loved, and I will always love being with the national team. I have used up everything I had, and I have no more left to give, alongside the presence of a group of wonderful young players who deserve to get their chance."
Messi went on: "Thank you for all this love over 20 years. I will miss hearing your voices from inside the stadium so much, and now I will become one of you, always cheering and supporting the national team from the outside, in the good times and the bad, and especially in the difficult times."
"Thank you to my family for always being by my side, and for accompanying me on this extremely beautiful journey, despite its difficulty," he added. "Thank you to every coach, teammate and official I had the chance to share this journey with. I will carry with me unforgettable memories and moments that I lived throughout this period."
He concluded: "I leave feeling at ease and proud because, together with my teammates, I gave you moments we had long dreamed of. It was madness to live all of that with you. I love you! Thank God for making me Argentinian. Long live Argentina!"
A note followed the statement, in which Messi revealed: "I wrote these words on 21 July, two days after the final match. And today, after what happened to my father, I am more convinced of the decision than ever before."
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