Lionel Messi signed off from international football with a goal, two assists and a 3-0 win over Benin in front of more than 85,000 fans in Buenos Aires.
After 21 years, 208 matches and a World Cup title, Lionel Messi wore Argentina’s number 10 shirt for the last time on Tuesday night. More than 85,000 fans packed the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires to see him off, and he gave them one final performance to remember.
Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a farewell friendly, and Messi was involved in every goal. He set up Nicolás Otamendi for the opener early in the second half, laid on a second for Nico Paz, and then stepped up to score from the penalty spot, sending the crowd of more than 85,000 into a roar that seemed to shake the stadium.
At one point in the first half, play stopped so the crowd could applaud him, and even Benin’s players came over to greet the Argentina captain. Messi was visibly emotional during the national anthem, and at the final whistle he was surrounded by teammates, with members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families there to share the night.
It brought the curtain down on 21 years of international football, a career that ends with Messi as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina Career in Numbers
Messi finishes his international career with 126 goals in 208 appearances for Argentina, both national records, along with a record number of assists for his country.
He played in six World Cups and lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2022, after beating France on penalties in one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament’s history. He won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player in both 2014 and 2022, and earned the Silver Ball at this year’s tournament.
He also ended Argentina’s long wait for a major trophy by winning the Copa América in 2021, before winning it again in 2024. At club level, he has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times.
Messi announced his decision on August 31 in an Instagram post showing a handwritten note. It came weeks after Argentina reached the 2026 World Cup final, where they lost to Spain after extra time.
“It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deeply, but I understand that the time has come,” he wrote. In a footnote, he explained that he had written the words two days after the final, and that he felt even more certain after the death of his father, Jorge, in August.
The Argentine Football Association later confirmed that he would return for one last match, giving fans the chance to say goodbye in Buenos Aires. Coach Lionel Scaloni had wanted Messi to receive a proper farewell at home.
The love that filled the Monumental on Tuesday was not always there. For years, Messi faced criticism at home, with some fans and pundits questioning his commitment to the national team and comparing him unfavorably with Diego Maradona. Argentina lost several major finals during his early years, and in 2016, after defeat to Chile in the Copa América final, he briefly announced his international retirement before reversing his decision.
The Copa América title in 2021 ended a 28-year trophy drought, and the 2022 World Cup win turned years of frustration into celebration. The Athletic described his departure as that of a player who now retires a god in the eyes of his country.
Messi’s farewell to Argentina does not mean the end of his playing career. He remains under contract with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, where he continues to play.
