Lionel Messi Ends Argentina Career After 21 Years With Emotional Farewell in Buenos Aires

Lionel Messi has played his final match for Argentina, ending a remarkable 21-year international career with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 victory over Benin at a packed Monumental Stadium.

Lionel Messi has officially brought his Argentina career to an end, making his final appearance for the national team on October 6 in an emotional farewell match against Benin in Buenos Aires.

The 39-year-old captain signed off in fitting fashion, contributing a goal and two assists as Argentina won 3-0 at the Estadio Monumental. The match was organised specifically to give Messi the opportunity to say goodbye in front of the Argentine supporters after he announced his international retirement on August 31.

The occasion included a series of tributes before and after the game. Messi was visibly emotional during the national anthem alongside his three sons, while the packed Monumental celebrated the player who has led Argentina through one of the most successful periods in its football history.

Messi leaves international football after 208 senior appearances and 126 goals, making him Argentina's record appearance-maker and all-time leading scorer. His senior international career began against Hungary in August 2005 and lasted more than two decades.

His greatest achievements came during the final years of his international career. Messi captained Argentina to the Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, the Finalissima in 2022 and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. He also led the team to another World Cup final in 2026, where Argentina lost to Spain.

Messi had originally confirmed his retirement after the 2026 World Cup, saying the decision was painful but that he felt the time had arrived to make way for the next generation. The Argentine Football Association and coach Lionel Scaloni subsequently invited him back for a specially organised final appearance in Buenos Aires.

After the Benin match, Messi described leaving the national team as one of the most painful moments of his career and thanked supporters and teammates for more than 20 years together. Scaloni said Argentina would now have to compensate collectively for the loss of a player capable of changing games through individual brilliance.

Messi's departure closes one of the defining chapters in international football. From a difficult relationship with Argentine supporters during the early part of his career to lifting the World Cup as captain and eventually receiving a full farewell at the Monumental, his journey with the Albiceleste ends with virtually every major international honour and the country's two most important individual records.