5 players who came out of international retirement 

#1 Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi retired from international football after Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa Centenario final

It is now amazing to think it, but Lionel Messi could quite easily not have travelled to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. And not because of Argentina’s mediocre qualifying record that saw them limp in at the last minute thanks to a hat-trick from their talisman, but because he himself had retired from the international game.

Fed up with frustration and drunk with disappointment following defeat to Chile in the Copa Centenario final, in which he missed a penalty in the shootout, he called time on his international career.

“I tried my hardest,” he lamented after suffering more heartbreak. “It has been four finals, I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen... I think this is best for everyone, firstly for me and for a lot of people that wish this. The team has ended for me, a decision made.”

Following the stunning news of the announcement, a campaign was quickly whipped up in his homeland to get him to reverse his decision. It was led by President Mauricio Macri, who described the player as “the greatest thing we have in Argentina”.

It did not take long for the fruits of this campaign to bear fruit. On August 12, 2016, less than two months after announcing his retirement, there was a sensational U-turn as Messi changed his mind prior to the autumn’s World Cup qualifiers.

“A lot of things went through my mind on the night of the final and I gave serious thought to quitting, but my love for my country and this shirt is too great,” he said.

He did not miss a game due to his short-lived ‘retirement’ and will go to Russia 2018 as one of the tournament’s major players to keep an eye on.