Messi scores, assists twice in Argentina farewell

Lionel Messi played his last match for Argentina on Tuesday night, scoring a penalty and setting up two goals as the national team beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. The 39-year-old captain finishes his international career with 208 senior caps and 126 goals. Both are team records.nytimes+1

ESPN reported that Messi announced his retirement from international football after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain. He was invited to play in the friendly as a celebration of his career, and every member of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad was invited too.espn

A scripted finish

Messi started the match and played all 90 minutes, according to the Argentine outlet Diario Voces. In the 10th minute, play stopped for more than a minute while the crowd of more than 80,000 gave him an ovation, and Benin's players joined in. Before kickoff, Benin captain Sessi D'Almeida gave him a bronze replica of the Amazon monument in Cotonou.diariovoces+1

The first half ended goalless. Three minutes after the break, Messi's corner set up Nicolás Otamendi for the opening goal. Otamendi was also playing his last match for Argentina. Messi then assisted Nico Paz, who scored from outside the box in the 61st minute. After Tamimou Ouorou fouled Agustín Giay, the Inter Miami forward converted the penalty for his 126th and final international goal. The Athletic reported that Messi was visibly emotional and cried during the ceremonies before and after the match.nytimes+2

"I feel it's the moment"

Messi took a microphone on the pitch after the final whistle. "Not coming anymore is going to be a great pain," he said, according to Diario Voces. "I swear I'd like to come my whole life… but I feel it's the moment". He also spoke about the World Cup, saying the semifinal against England had been "a huge strain" and that Argentina had reached the final "with just enough".diariovoces

He told the crowd the night was probably "the saddest day of my career." He warned that "hard moments will come" for the team and asked fans to stand behind it when they do. He closed by saying he was "proud to be Argentine and to have fulfilled my dreams with all of you".diariovoces

Memes and jeers

On social media, the farewell set off a wave of memes and tributes, according to the Córdoba daily La Voz. Not everything in the stadium was celebratory. Before kickoff, part of the crowd chanted insults at Argentine Football Association president Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia. Fans also loudly whistled a drone tribute to Messi after it opened with an advertisement for Sancor Seguros. Diario Voces linked the anger at Tapia to complaints about farewell ticket prices and resale, and to a recent friendly against Burkina Faso in which Argentina ended up facing a squad of under-23 players.lavoz+1

Messi's international career began in 2005, when he came on as a substitute against Hungary and was sent off 47 seconds later.diariovoces