Lionel Messi brought his extraordinary Argentina career to a spectacular close on Tuesday night, scoring and providing two assists as the world champions defeated Benin 3–0 in an emotional farewell at the Monumental.
Playing his 208th and final international match for Argentina, Messi was directly involved in all three goals as more than 85,000 supporters gathered to witness the end of a 21-year journey in the famous blue and white shirt.
Nicolás Otamendi opened the scoring in the 48th minute after Messi delivered the corner that created the opportunity, before the captain turned provider again for Nico Paz, who doubled Argentina’s advantage in the 61st minute.
The perfect finale arrived 10 minutes later when Messi converted a penalty to score his 126th goal for Argentina and complete a memorable 3–0 victory.
The result gave Messi the farewell he had hoped for on the pitch, but the occasion was about much more than the scoreline. The Monumental erupted in tribute throughout the evening, with the crowd applauding in the 10th minute in honour of Argentina’s iconic No. 10 before the celebrations continued after the final whistle.
Messi leaves the national team as Argentina’s most-capped player and record goalscorer, having finished with 208 appearances and 126 goals. He also departs as the architect of one of the most successful periods in Argentine football history, leading the country to the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
His final night also marked the international farewell of veteran defender Otamendi, who shared 17 years with Messi in the Argentina setup and appeared alongside him at four World Cups.
After the final whistle, Messi was surrounded by teammates and opponents before a spectacular drone display lit up the Buenos Aires sky, bringing an emotional conclusion to one of the greatest international careers in football history.