Lionel Messi bids tearful farewell as Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in Buenos Aires
Lionel Messi retired from international football on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, after Argentina defeated Benin 3-0 in a friendly at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. He scored a penalty and provided two assists in front of 85,000 supporters in his final appearance for the national team.
Messi brought the curtain down on a 21-year international career in a match billed as “The Last Tango,” playing his record-extending 208th cap and finishing with his 126th international goal. The occasion centred more on the farewell than the friendly itself, with supporters laying a giant Argentina jersey bearing “Gracias” and his No 10 on the pitch and fans lining the route as the team bus arrived. Messi entered the field with his three children and acknowledged waves from his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and his mother, Celia Cuccittini, who watched from a VIP box. Before kick-off a Falklands War veteran, Fabio Santana, sang the national anthem beside a banner reading “The Malvinas are Argentine.”
On the field, Messi supplied the assist for the opening goal from veteran Nicolás Otamendi, and Nico Paz also scored as Argentina completed a 3-0 victory. Messi converted a penalty in the 71st minute to record his 126th international goal in what was described as his emotional farewell. The match was halted in the 10th minute for a minute-long ovation in tribute to his famous shirt number.
Ceremony elements continued throughout the evening: a giant jersey with “Gracias” had been displayed before kick-off, and at the final whistle a drone show projected Messi’s image over the stadium, thanking the eight-time Ballon D’Or-winner for his career. Outside the Argentina Football Association headquarters fans unfurled a large flag featuring Messi with the inscription “The joy of my life.”
Messi’s decision to retire followed Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey two and a half months earlier; he had announced his decision in August and wrote at the time: “I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance.” Before Tuesday’s match the University of Buenos Aires awarded him an honorary doctorate in a ceremony at the Argentine Football Association headquarters, prompting Messi to joke: “To be able to say that I am an honorary doctor!,” according to reports.
Tributes poured in from colleagues and supporters after the farewell match. Former Barcelona team-mate Neymar posted 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,” and fan Cecilia Adriano told AFP: “I believe Messi gave everything, absolutely everything, so it doesn’t bother me at all that he’s leaving. He has more than earned it, let him enjoy himself, let him rest.”
Messi’s international exit follows a decorated run with Argentina: he led the side to victory at the 2022 World Cup, ending a 36-year wait for a third title, and the sources note Argentina were runners-up twice, at Brazil 2014 and North America 2026, and won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. The farewell completed a two-decade-plus spell in which he amassed the caps and goals cited above.
Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, and sources report that following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago he has said he may hang up his boots for good sooner than anticipated.