Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, bringing an extraordinary 20-year career with the Argentina national team to an emotional end.

The 39-year-old made the announcement on Monday through a heartfelt post on Instagram, saying the decision was painful but that he believed the time had come to step away from the national team.

Messi’s final appearance for Argentina came in last month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain. The defeat denied the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner a fairytale ending to his international career, although his place in Argentine football history was already secure.

The decision ends a remarkable international journey that began with Messi’s senior debut in 2005.

During his time with Argentina, Messi made a national-record 207 appearances and scored 125 goals, becoming the country’s all-time leading scorer and appearance holder.

Messi’s relationship with the Argentina national team was not always a fairytale.

He suffered painful defeats in major finals, including the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals.

After Argentina’s 2016 Copa América final defeat, Messi briefly announced his international retirement before returning to the national team.

His comeback eventually produced the greatest chapter of his international career.

In 2021, Messi finally won his first major senior international trophy when Argentina defeated Brazil in the Copa América final.

A year later, he reached the pinnacle of the sport.

Messi captained Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, defeating France on penalties in one of the most memorable finals in World Cup history. He was named the tournament’s best player.

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Argentina then won another Copa América title in 2024, further cementing Messi’s status as one of the greatest players in international football.

In his retirement message, Messi said he had always given everything he had to Argentina and wanted to make supporters proud.

He also pointed to the emergence of younger Argentine players who deserve opportunities with the national team.

The announcement came weeks after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who died in August at the age of 68. Reports say the loss contributed to Messi’s decision to reconsider his future in football.

Messi had also reportedly been reflecting on his future following Argentina’s defeat by Spain in the World Cup final.

Despite stepping away from international football, Messi is not retiring from football altogether. He remains a player for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, with his club career continuing.

Messi leaves Argentina as a World Cup winner, two-time Copa América champion, record goalscorer and record appearance holder.

More importantly, he leaves as the player who finally delivered the World Cup that an entire generation of Argentines had waited decades to see.

His international career began with uncertainty and disappointment but ended with the biggest prizes in world football.

After more than two decades in Argentina’s famous blue-and-white shirt, one of football’s greatest international stories has finally reached its final chapter.

Nigeria has agreed an $8.5m-a-year equipment deal that the Nigeria Football Federation says is the biggest in African football. The deal will also end its 11-year association with Nike and return to adidas.

Former NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, who resigned along with the federation’s executive committee on Thursday, disclosed the agreement at a news conference in Abuja, saying adidas will pay the federation $4.5m annually in cash and provide another $4m worth of equipment for Nigeria’s national teams.

The NFF will also receive a 20 per cent royalty on merchandise sales, a clause that could push the value of the agreement well beyond the guaranteed $8.5m annual figure.

Gusau said the contract has already been signed, though it was originally scheduled to be announced in September. He said:

“It is about the highest kit sponsorship in Africa. No other country in Africa has that kind of sponsorship.

“Adidas will pay Nigeria $4.5 million every year in cash and then they will provide kit worth $4 million every year.”

The package becomes the largest kit-supply agreement for an African national football federation, if beating Morocco’s deal with Puma, reportedly valued at $1.7m, previously the highest publicly known figure on the continent.

Nigeria’s outgoing Nike contract signed since 2015, had become grossly inadequate for the federation’s needs argued Gusau:

“As (former) president, I cannot gift someone a jersey because we met a contract that has been running for 11 years on the same terms worth $500,000 in cash and $1 million in kit supply. $500,000 in 2015 and still $500,000 in 2026. It is like you have nothing.”

Nigeria was to first sign with Nike in April 2015 due to its earlier adidas deal being cancelled over breaches during the 2014 World Cup.

Gusau said the limitations of the Nike arrangement had proven so inadequate that the federation had resorted to buying additional kits for its teams, including Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team for the World Cup in Poland.

“We have to buy jerseys for the girls that travelled to Poland because $1 million worth of equipment cannot even service Super Eagles qualifiers for World Cup and Nations Cup as well as Super Falcons,” he said.

Due to the insufficiency, the federation began pushing Nike for improved terms in 2024 but could not reach an agreement, prompting it to solicit competing offers, with Nike retaining a contractual right to match the best proposal. Gusau added:

“Finally, they agreed that we could negotiate with others. At the end of the day we contacted adidas and other kit sponsors and we were able to secure a substantial agreement with adidas. Nike has to match whatever we were offered. They were unable to match the offer from adidas and that is why we are moving on.”

Adidas previously supplied Nigeria’s 1994 Africa Cup of Nations kits and its first World Cup appearance that same year, and again from 2004 to 2014, a period that included the Super Eagles’ 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title.

Nike’s return in 2015 produced some of Nigeria’s most recognisable kits, including the widely celebrated 2018 World Cup jersey.

Adidas has a larger retail footprint in Nigeria, with about 13 stores compared to Nike’s one, and it plans to expand to 32 stores within two years. This was another factor behind the switch.

Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens began their ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division One campaigns, on a winning note, defeating Uganda by four wickets.

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat but struggled against Nigeria’s disciplined bowling attack, managing 59 for seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs at the TCA Cricket Arena Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Nigeria’s bowlers maintained sustained pressure throughout the innings, with Chisom Okpe returning impressive figures of two wickets for four runs in four overs.

Shadiah  Nabulime top-scored for Uganda with 22 runs off 34 balls, while Jimia Mohamed contributed 13 runs from 25 deliveries.

Peace Usen also claimed two wickets for 12 runs to help restrict Uganda to a modest total.

Chasing 60 runs for victory, Nigeria appeared to be in control before Uganda’s Tino Sarah produced a remarkable bowling performance to bring the contest to life.

Sarah claimed five wickets for 13 runs in four overs, including two maiden overs as Nigeria lost wickets at regular intervals.

However,  Nigeria showed composure under pressure to complete the chase and secure victory by four wickets.

Omosigho Eguakun provided the foundation for Nigeria’s innings with a patient 24 runs off 29 balls.

Christabel Chukwuonye added an important attacking contribution, scoring 13 runs from 10 deliveries, including three boundaries.

The victory gives Nigeria a positive start to their campaign as they seek to advance through the Africa qualifiers and move closer to securing a place in the next stage.