Lionel Messi signed off from international football in style on Tuesday, scoring once and providing two assists as Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in front of more than 85,000 emotional fans at the Monumental Stadium.
The friendly became a celebration of Messi’s remarkable 21-year international career, with Argentina giving its greatest football star a farewell worthy of his status.
Messi helped set up Nicolás Otamendi for the opening goal before providing the assist for Nicolás Paz to make it 2-0.
He then converted a penalty to complete the scoring and take his international goal tally to 126.
The match was stopped in the 10th minute as the crowd rose to applaud Messi, who wore Argentina’s famous No. 10 shirt for the final time.
After the final whistle, his teammates surrounded him as fans sang his name.
Messi then addressed the crowd in an emotional farewell speech.
“It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years,” he said.
“Even in the worst moments we went through and that I had, I never stopped fighting, never stopped being here.”
He added that he wished he could continue playing for Argentina forever.
“I swear I’d like to play for the rest of my life, because playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”
Coach Lionel Scaloni also struggled to hide his emotions.
“It’s been a dream come true. I never thought I’d be the coach of the best footballer in history,” Scaloni said.
“We are eternally grateful to him for giving us the opportunity to be with him.”
Messi’s relationship with Argentina was not always this warm.
The Rosario-born forward made his senior debut in 2005 and was sent off just seconds after coming on against Hungary.
For years, he faced criticism for failing to deliver the major trophy many Argentines expected from a player constantly compared with Diego Maradona.
He lost the 2007 and 2015 Copa América finals and the 2014 World Cup final before suffering another Copa América final defeat in 2016.
After that defeat, Messi briefly retired from international football before returning just weeks later.
The turning point came in 2021, when he finally won his first major senior title with Argentina by beating Brazil in the Copa América final.
A year later, he led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar.
He also won the 2024 Copa América, taking his major senior international trophy haul to four.
His final World Cup appearance came in 2026, when Argentina reached the final but lost 1-0 to Spain.
Messi leaves as Argentina’s record appearance maker and leading scorer, bringing an extraordinary international career to an emotional end.
An era that began with criticism has ended with national adoration.
“I leave in peace,” Messi said before his farewell.
“I gave everything.”
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