Lionel Messi bowed out of international football with one final goal for Argentina, marking the end of an era for the country and football fans around the world.
The 39-year-old made his 208th and final appearance for Argentina on Tuesday night, scoring his 126th and final international goal as the Albiceleste defeated Benin 3-0 in a friendly in Buenos Aires.
In emotional scenes at a packed Estadio Monumental, Messi converted a penalty in the 71st minute, prompting wild celebrations from his teammates and fans. Earlier, Messi had set up goals for Nicolás Otamendi, who was also making his final appearance for Argentina, and Nico Paz, the youngster widely tipped to inherit Messi’s iconic No. 10 jersey.
“It was a source of great pride for me to wear this jersey,” Messi told fans after the final whistle. “I can only express my gratitude… not coming back anymore will be deeply painful.” “Gracias, Leo!” read an intricate drone show above the stadium at full-time, with the drones later forming a profile of Messi’s face.
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An Emotional Final Tango
The friendly had been dubbed “the last tango” as Messi played his final game in international football after 21 years, two Copa América titles and a World Cup.
The script called for one more goal from Messi, and he delivered. With his left foot, he emphatically sent a penalty into the roof of the net in the 71st minute, sending the sold-out crowd into a collective chant of “Messi, Messi.” “I would love to keep coming back forever, because playing for the Argentine national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you. The most beautiful thing,” Messi said as he addressed the crowd.
For a time, it appeared Messi might leave the stage without giving the crowd the goal it wanted after missing earlier chances. But the Argentine captain showed once again that he is more than a goal scorer. He provided two assists in the 3-0 victory, delivering a corner for Otamendi to head in during the 48th minute before supplying the pass that allowed Nico Paz to curl the second goal into the net.
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A Farewell Filled With Emotion
Following the final whistle, the sky above the Monumental was lit up by a drone show highlighting moments from Messi’s career, including the famous image of him holding the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022.
The Monumental was a fitting venue for Messi’s farewell. It is the stadium where he scored the most goals in his international career, with 19, and where Argentina returned to celebrate their first World Cup triumph since 1986. “I experienced one of the happiest days of my career here, the day we returned for our first match after the World Cup,” he said. “I will never forget what I witnessed that day; it was the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me.” His words brought tears to faces in the crowd and among his teammates.
“Now, inevitably, I face the saddest day of my career: saying goodbye to the national team,” he continued. “Goodbye to all of you. I’m going to miss you; I’m going to miss defending the national team’s colors, but now I’ll be right there alongside you, supporting these guys and everyone who comes after them. Always, always united.”
The emotion had begun even before kickoff. Messi was pictured in tears as the Argentina team bus made its way through crowds of fans lining the route to the stadium. More tears flowed from both Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni as the Argentine anthem sounded for the final time with Messi, accompanied by his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, part of the lineup.
The significance of the occasion was further highlighted when play stopped in the 10th minute. The entire stadium applauded Argentina’s legendary No. 10 as Benin players took turns shaking his hand. “Come, come, sing with me, and a friend you’ll find; hand in hand with Leo Messi, we’ll all celebrate the victory,” the crowd sang.
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The End of an Extraordinary International Career
Messi announced his international retirement in the weeks following the World Cup final loss to Spain, saying, “The time has come.”
The Argentine Football Association then encouraged him to make one final appearance for “the farewell he deserves.” More than 85,000 tickets for the match sold out in 90 minutes, with some later fetching more than $2,500 on resale sites.
Players from Argentina’s 1978, 1986 and 2022 World Cup-winning squads, along with their families, also joined the tribute. “I just want to tell you that I love you and I’ll miss you,” Messi said. “I’m proud to be Argentine and to have fulfilled this dream with all of you. Thank you so much.”
Messi fell just short of winning back-to-back World Cups when defending champion Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final in July in New Jersey.
“The last World Cup took a massive toll, everything I went through,” he said Tuesday. “We had a dream, my dream and the whole country’s dream, of becoming world champions again.” Despite the defeat, Messi delivered a remarkable tournament performance, scoring eight goals and providing four assists.
His contribution was enough to put him back in contention for the Ballon d’Or alongside two of the leading contenders to succeed him, Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Kylian Mbappé.
Messi remains the only footballer to have won the award eight times. Just weeks after the World Cup, Messi’s father, Jorge, who also served as his son’s agent and managed his business affairs throughout his career, died in Argentina at the age of 68. As Messi addressed the crowd on Tuesday, he said his father was the person he was thinking of most.
Messi achieved his ultimate ambition of leading Argentina to a World Cup victory four years earlier in Qatar, emulating fellow Argentine great Diego Maradona.
He finishes his international career as Argentina’s leading scorer and appearance holder. Only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146 goals in 234 games, has more appearances or goals in men’s international football.
Messi scored 21 goals in the World Cup and appeared in a record-tying six tournaments alongside his great rival Ronaldo. He briefly retired from international duty in 2016 before enjoying the most successful period of his Argentina career, winning the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, as well as the 2022 World Cup.
Messi will continue his club career with Inter Miami, where he recently won the Campeones Cup, his fourth trophy with the MLS team.
