Messi bids farewell to Argentina with goal and tears in Buenos Aires send-off
Lionel Messi played his final match for Argentina on Tuesday, scoring once and providing two assists in a 3-0 friendly victory over Benin before more than 80,000 fans at Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental. The 39-year-old, who announced his international retirement in August following Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Spain, leaves the national team as its all-time record holder with 208 appearances and 126 goals.
An emotional goodbye at the Monumental
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) had billed the match as "the last tango," and the evening delivered on its promise of emotion. Messi, wearing a special-edition shirt with gold accents on his trademark number 10, played the full 90 minutes at the request of head coach Lionel Scaloni, who wanted to give the captain a proper send-off rather than let his final image remain that of a tearful defeat in New York.
Messi converted a penalty in the 71st minute and assisted goals by Nicolás Otamendi in the 48th minute and Nico Paz in the 61st. He also struck the post late in the match.
"It has been a very great pride for me to defend this shirt," Messi told reporters after the final whistle. "Not coming back anymore will be a great pain."
He described it as the saddest day of his career.
Numbers that define an era
Messi's international career spanned more than two decades, beginning with a forgettable 43-second debut against Hungary in 2005 that ended in a straight red card. His true World Cup arrival came in 2006, when an 18-year-old Messi scored and assisted in a 6-0 rout of Serbia and Montenegro.
The final tally with Argentina reads: one World Cup title (2022), two Copa América trophies, and one Finalissima. His record of 67 assists for the national team complements a goal-scoring haul unmatched in Argentine history.
The AFA training complex in Ezeiza already bears his name — a rare honour granted to few in their lifetime.
A changing relationship with Argentina
For years, Messi faced criticism from some Argentine fans who considered him insufficiently patriotic compared to Diego Maradona, partly due to his upbringing in Barcelona's youth academy from age 13. Detractors labelled him "the Catalan," questioning whether he felt the national shirt.
That narrative shifted with the Copa América triumph in 2021 and solidified with the World Cup victory in Qatar. Historians and sports commentators now describe Messi as having redefined Argentine football culture, prioritising collective sacrifice and team unity over individual heroics.
During the farewell week, monuments across Argentina were illuminated in white and sky blue. The Buenos Aires subway system posted a viral video showing Messi's shirts and trophies displayed in a train carriage, ending with a goat — a reference to the acronym GOAT, or "Greatest of All Time" — walking alone out of the final station.
His wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, posted emotional messages on social media, and a training photo shared by Messi ahead of the match received nearly 7 million likes.
What comes next
Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer through 2028, with an agreement granting him roughly 10% ownership of the club upon retirement. He has indicated the Florida team will be his last as a player.
Beyond playing, Messi has moved into club ownership. He acquired majority control of CD Eldense, a Spanish second-division side, following his April 2026 purchase of fifth-division club UE Cornellà. He also co-owns Uruguayan fourth-division side Deportivo LSM with close friend Luis Suárez.
Messi has said he prefers club ownership to coaching, with ambitions to develop young talent and build teams from the foundation.
