With the announcement made by the player himself in a social media post, Lionel Messi's journey with the Argentina national team came to an end. In total, there were 207 matches played and 125 goals scored wearing the albiceleste jersey. Messi ends his international career as, by far, the player who plays the most and scores the most for Argentina.
Javier Mascherano appears in second place in number of matches, with 147 matches, while Gabriel Batistuta is the second top scorer in the history of the national team, with 56 goals. The distance between Messi and the other players is significant in both categories.
Messi also finishes as the South American record holder in matches and goals for national teams. In the global men's football scenario, he ranks second in both statistics, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo, who accumulated 233 matches and 146 goals for Portugal.
Messi's numbers by competition show his versatility: 34 matches and 21 goals in World Cups, 72 matches and 36 goals in Qualifiers, 39 matches and 14 goals in Copa América, 61 matches and 54 goals in friendly matches, plus one match in the Finalissima.
