Messi bows out at the Monumental with a penalty as Argentina host Benin on October 7, 2026
Lionel Messi made his final appearance for Argentina against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on October 7, 2026, and converted a 69th-minute penalty as the stadium staged a farewell for the captain.
The Monumental was awash in light blue and white as supporters filled the stands and a giant No. 10 bearing the word "Gracias" was unfurled before kick-off; notable figures in attendance included Ángel Di María and former France striker David Trezeguet. Messi entered the field accompanied by his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro amid fireworks and the playing of the national anthems, a moment that left him visibly emotional alongside coach Lionel Scaloni and team-mate Nicolás Otamendi. Prior to the game the Benin captain presented Messi with an Amazonian-style sculpture and a letter as a memento of the occasion.
The match began as a measured farewell rather than a frenetic send-off: Messi's first touch was returned to a teammate and in the seventh minute he tested the goalkeeper with a shot from just outside the box that was saved. A stadium-wide tribute drew applause in the 10th minute, and Messi had another promising opening in the 23rd minute but was unable to get the finishing touch; Argentina controlled possession at times while Benin resisted attempts to convert that control into an early breakthrough. The first half finished goalless and the interval featured a performance by Los Fundamentalistas for the crowd.
Argentina opened the scoring shortly after the break when Messi delivered a free-kick into the box that Nicolás Otamendi finished, a significant moment for Otamendi who was playing his final match for the national team and was substituted not long after contributing the goal. Messi had a subsequent free-kick opportunity that did not find the target, but the hosts did not have to wait long for a second goal.
Nico Paz increased Argentina's lead by cutting inside from the right and curling a shot into the net, a finish the reports noted carried an echo of the kind of strikes Messi has produced; the article singled Paz out as one of the young players regarded as among those expected to carry Argentina forward and as someone who could eventually inherit the No. 10 shirt.
The defining moment of the evening arrived in the 69th minute when Augustin Ndiaye was fouled in the box and a penalty was awarded; Messi placed the ball and struck the spot-kick into the top-right corner. Teammates converged immediately to celebrate their captain as he registered his farewell goal. Later in the half Messi sprinted to keep the ball in play, had a close-range opportunity from a Nico González cross that he scuffed with his weaker foot, and saw a strike that deflected off the goalkeeper hit the post.
In the final stages Argentina won a free-kick from around 21 metres that presented one last chance for Messi from a set piece, but his attempt flew over and wide. As the clock ran down the Monumental rose in song; when the final whistle came it closed Messi's last appearance at the stadium, and the departing crowd chanted the simple message: "Gracias, Leo."
