15 moments that illustrate Lionel Messi's international career

#13 50 international goals

Messi reached the 50 goal mark against Bolivia in the World Cup Qualifiers

The Barcelona forward scored his 50th goal for the country in a World Cup Qualifier against Bolivia. While the first 25 goals took him 70 appearances, he scored the next 25 in just 37 appearances.

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#14 Argentina’s all-time top scorer

Messi became Argentina’s all-time top scorer with a splendid free kick

The Barcelona forward become Argentina’s all-time top scorer, beating Gabriel Batistuta’s tally of 54 goals. He achieved this feat with a sumptuous free kick against the hosts USA in the semi-final of the recently concluded Copa America Centenario.

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#15 Copa America Centenario

Messi decided to retire from international football following the loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario finals

Sustaining a back injury, Messi did not make an appearance in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over Chile. In Argentina’s next fixture, Messi came on as a substitute in the 61st minute and subsequently scored a hat trick in just 19 minutes, sealing Argentina’s place in the quarterfinals.

He continued his impressive form as he scored a goal and assisted two in the quarterfinal fixture, in what was a 4-1 victory against Venezuela. Argentina faced the hosts USA in the semi-finals, where Messi assisted twice and scored once to become his country’s highest goal scorer.

Yet again Argentina faced defeat at the hands of Chile on penalties. Following his fourth consecutive defeat in a major final, Messi decided to call it a day from international football. It is an unfortunate happening for the footballing world, as they will not see the maestro donning Argentina colours again.