Lionel Messi ended his international career in front of a sold-out Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, where fans, teammates and former World Cup winners paid tribute to him after his 208th and final game for Argentina.
The emotional farewell began before kickoff, when Messi was pictured in tears on the Argentina team bus as it passed fans lining the route to the stadium. He and coach Lionel Scaloni cried again during the national anthem, which Messi sang alongside his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
The game stopped in the 10th minute so the crowd could applaud him, and Benin players lined up to shake his hand.
After the final whistle, a drone show lit up the sky with images from his career, including the one of him holding the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022. Messi then spoke to the crowd.
“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,” he said.
“Now, inevitably, I face the saddest day of my career: saying goodbye to the national team,” he added. He promised to support the squad from the stands from now on.
Scaloni said the team will have to move on without Messi’s presence. “I’ve never seen that aura in anyone else in my life,” he said.
The friendly against Benin carried the nickname “the last tango,” and Argentina won 3-0. Messi scored his 126th goal for his country, sending a penalty into the roof of the net in the 71st minute. He had missed a few earlier chances, but he also set up Argentina’s other two goals. His corner in the 48th minute allowed Nicolás Otamendi to head home, and his pass led to a curled finish from Nico Paz.
The Monumental suited the occasion. Messi scored 19 goals there, more than in any other stadium for Argentina, and the team returned there to celebrate its first World Cup win since 1986.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) persuaded him to play one more match so he could have a proper send-off. More than 85,000 tickets sold out in 90 minutes, and some later resold for over $2,500. Players from Argentina’s 1978, 1986 and 2022 World Cup squads joined the tribute with their families.
Messi announced his international retirement in the weeks after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain. Spain won 1-0 in July in New Jersey, which denied Argentina back-to-back titles. Messi scored eight goals and added four assists at the tournament, and he has returned to the Ballon d’Or conversation. His rivals include Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Kylian Mbappé. Messi is the only player to have won the award eight times.
Messi lost his father, Jorge, weeks after the World Cup. Jorge Messi also worked as his son’s agent and managed his business affairs. He was 68. Messi said Tuesday that he was thinking of his father most as he spoke to the crowd.
Messi finishes as Argentina’s top scorer and the player with the most appearances for the country. Only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has more games and goals in men’s international football, with 146 goals in 234 matches. Messi scored 21 World Cup goals and appeared in a record-tying six tournaments, a mark he shares with Ronaldo.
He briefly retired from international play in 2016. He then enjoyed the most successful stretch of his Argentina career, winning the Copa América in 2021 and 2024 and the 2022 World Cup.
Messi will continue playing for Inter Miami. The club recently won the Campeones Cup, his fourth trophy with the MLS team.
