Argentina's Messi ends international career

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 31 : Lionel Messi, who captained Argentina to World Cup victory in 2022 and the final in 2026, is retiring from international football, he said on Monday.The record eight-times Ballon d'Or winner is his country's record appearance-maker and scorer with 125 goals in 207 games, having transformed a complicated relationship with the national team into a story of redemption and triumph."It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football," the 39-year-old Messi wrote on