Lionel Messi says he wrote his retirement letter two days after Argentina loses the FIFA World Cup 2026 final to Spain. According to his explanation, the letter was written on July 21, following the defeat.
The sources provided do not describe additional details beyond Messi’s account of the timing. They focus on why he delayed making the retirement announcement after the final, with the key point being that the paperwork was prepared shortly after the match rather than immediately. With only these two matching reports available, there is no further reporting here on where the letter was submitted, who was involved, or whether there are additional official steps tied to the decision.
Overall, the reporting aligns on the same timeline: the World Cup final loss comes first, the letter is written two days later, and the public retirement announcement follows afterward.
