The 43-year-old defender started as captain in Andorra's 3-0 loss to Switzerland in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Sion on Tuesday and came off after 23 minutes with the game still goalless. "The last day has arrived, 26 years since the first, 4 different decades... today, The Last Dance," Lima posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He made his international debut at the age of 17 and became the record holder for longest men's international career in 2022, eclipsing Welsh great Billy Meredith, whose first and last international caps were one day short of 25 years apart. Former Brazil women's player Formiga holds the record for longest international career between 1995 and 2021.
"Congratulations to Andorra's @ildelima6 on an incredible journey, the longest international career ever!" wrote UEFA on X.