Lionel Messi brought his Argentina career to an end with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 win over Benin in Buenos Aires during the early hours of Wednesday morning. The 85,000-strong crowd watched Messi play the full 90 minutes on an emotional night at the stadium.
Emotional scenes before kick-off
A firework display greeted the players as they walked onto the pitch, with a giant Argentina shirt bearing Messi's number 10 and the word 'gracias' sprawled across the field. Messi broke down in tears while singing the national anthem for the final time as a player, and took a moment to take in the festive atmosphere before the game started.
Messi's final contribution
Messi marked the occasion with a second-half penalty, his 126th Argentina goal. He had earlier provided assists for Nicolas Otamendi and Nico Paz as Argentina ran out comfortable winners.
Speaking on the pitch after the game, Messi said playing for Argentina was "the most wonderful thing that can happen to you." He added: "It's hard to say anything today; there are so many emotions, so many things are going through my mind."
He continued: "The first thing I think of is my dad. All I can do is express my gratitude, as I said in my farewell letter. It was a great honour to wear this jersey for over 20 years. Even in the worst moments we've faced, I never stopped fighting, never stopped giving my all, and never stopped being there. Not coming back is going to be a huge pain. I swear I'd like to come back for the rest of my life, because playing for the Argentine National Team is the most wonderful thing that can happen to you."
Finishing his speech, Messi said: "The truth is, I'm talking more than ever. I don't want to leave, I don't want to leave the field. I just want to tell you that I love you all, I'm going to miss you, and I'm so grateful to God for being Argentinian, proud to be Argentinian, and proud to have fulfilled my dreams with all of you. Thank you so much, I love you all."
Reaction from team-mates and rivals
Enzo Fernandez broke down in tears during Messi's speech and later said: "A very emotional day, to be honest, a lot of mixed feelings. I hope Leo enjoyed it, we're going to miss him a lot."
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni said of his captain: "It's been a dream come true. I never thought I'd be the coach of the best footballer in history. We are eternally grateful to him for giving us the opportunity to be with him."
Messi's former Barcelona team-mate Neymar wrote on X: "It's not just Argentina that thanks you, the world thanks you for everything you did for football. Thank you for making me love football even more, it was an honour to have played against you and even more so to make history by your side."
What happens next
Argentina will not retire Messi's No.10 jersey due to FIFA international regulations, which require all national teams to allocate numbers 1-23 or more with no gaps in the numerical order. Messi's contract with Inter Miami runs to the end of the 2028 season, but it is reviewed year by year. He is also the owner of UE Cornella and CD Eldense and owns a stake in MiM Hotels.
