Lionel Messi played his final match for Argentina against Benin. He retires as the national team’s all-time leader in caps, goals and assists.
Lionel Messi played the final match of his international career Tuesday night, as Argentina hosted Benin in an emotional farewell friendly at a sold-out Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Messi set up Nicolás Otamendi’s opening goal early in the second half, providing one final assist in front of the home crowd that has watched him since his 2005 debut.
Messi retires as Argentina’s all-time leader in appearances, goals and assists, finishing his international career with 207 caps, 125 goals and 68 assists, both national records. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more international goals, with 146. Messi announced his retirement from the national team on Aug. 31, roughly six weeks after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, a match he left in tears having made little impact. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he personally pushed for the farewell match to be arranged during this international window, telling reporters, “If there’s a tribute to be made, it should be done now, because later on, the magic might not be the same. There will never be anyone like him.”
The occasion brought together members of Argentina’s triumphant 2022 World Cup-winning squad, invited by the Argentine Football Association to share in the farewell. AFA president Claudio Tapia had announced Messi’s call-up for the match on Sept. 15, promising the captain “a deserved farewell.” Tuesday’s match followed Argentina’s 4-0 win over Bolivia on Sept. 30, the team’s first match of what Scaloni has described as its “post-Messi era.” Messi’s international career delivered two Copa América titles and the 2022 World Cup, cementing his standing among the sport’s greatest players.
This report is based on information from Al Jazeera, beIN Sports, Outlook India and Rio Times Online.