As the GOAT retires, cue up 6 Lionel Messi documentaries

His last night in an Argentina shirt came with a flourish: one more goal, two more assists, and a wave goodbye after 21 years with the national team. The final tally reads like a myth made real — 208 appearances, 126 goals — closing a run that stretched from precocious debut to World Cup glory.

208 appearances and 126 goals for Argentina.

If you want to replay how he got there — from Rosario kid to Barcelona icon to Miami’s main event — these documentaries map the whole arc, including the teammates, the heartbreaks and the two trophies that changed everything: Copa América and Qatar 2022.

The six to queue up

• Messi (2014) — Álex de la Iglesia starts at the beginning: childhood in Rosario, growth struggles, the move to Barcelona and the family ties that shaped him. It blends archival footage, roundtable conversations and dramatized moments, with voices like Johan Cruyff, Javier Mascherano and Andrés Iniesta filling in the portrait. Released before his World Cup and Copa América triumphs, it now plays like a time capsule; it’s not currently streaming in the U.S., and a Prime Video listing may be unavailable stateside.
• Lionel Messi: The Greatest (2020) — Directed by Matt Salmon, this brisk 55‑minute watch focuses on peak Barcelona-era dominance, arriving when he’d already won six Ballons d’Or. It’s wall-to-wall football: the sudden bursts, the close control, the passing sequences that seem to run a beat ahead of everyone else. Stream it free on Tubi and Plex, or rent/buy in the Apple TV app.
• Argentine National Team, Road to Qatar (2022) — A six-part Prime Video series that catches Argentina right as the pieces clicked: World Cup qualifiers, the 2021 Copa América breakthrough, the Finalissima and the build-up to Qatar. Messi shares the frame with Ángel Di María, Rodrigo De Paul and coach Lionel Scaloni, with an emphasis on chemistry and trust as much as stardom. Streaming on Prime Video.
• Be Eternal: Champions of America (2022) — Originally titled Sean eternos: Campeones de América, this three-episode doc goes inside the Copa América run that ended a 28‑year trophy drought and finally gave Messi a first senior title with Argentina. Players and coaches — including Messi, Di María, De Paul, Sergio Agüero and Scaloni — are joined by Neymar, Ronaldinho, Xavi Hernández and Luis Suárez to revisit the pressure and the release that followed. Netflix has carried the series; availability varies by region.
• Messi Meets America (2023) — Apple’s six-parter follows his leap to Inter Miami: the Leagues Cup spark, stadiums turning into events, and familiar faces Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba slotting in beside him. David Beckham features as the club rides a wave of attention, while a post-World Cup Messi looks looser but just as lethal. Streaming on Apple TV+.
• Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend (2024) — Four episodes trace all five of his World Cups before zeroing in on Qatar 2022: the Saudi Arabia shock, the regroup, the knockout gauntlet and that delirious final against France. Messi narrates the weight he carried — and finally shed — in blue and white. Apple TV+ currently carries the complete series.