Lionel Messi has described his retirement from international football as the “saddest day of my career” after bringing his extraordinary Argentina journey to an emotional end at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Messi delivered the emotional message after helping Argentina defeat Benin 3-0 in his final appearance for the national team on Tuesday night.
The 39-year-old produced a fitting final performance, scoring one goal and providing two assists as Argentina celebrated another victory before turning the occasion into a farewell ceremony for their greatest modern football icon.
More than 85,000 supporters packed the Monumental to witness Messi’s final appearance in the famous sky-blue and white shirt.
After the final whistle, the focus shifted from the result to Messi himself.
The Argentina captain walked onto the pitch to address the supporters and reflect on a 21-year international career that began in 2005 and eventually saw him become a World Cup winner, Copa América champion and the most influential player of his generation.
“It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years,” Messi told the crowd.
He recalled the difficult moments he experienced with Argentina, insisting that he never stopped fighting despite the criticism and disappointment that accompanied some of the most painful periods of his international career.
“Even in the worst moments we went through and that I had, I never stopped fighting, never stopped being here,” he said.
Messi admitted that walking away from Argentina was not what he wanted.
“Not coming anymore is going to be deeply painful. I swear I’d like to play for the rest of my life, because playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you,” he said.
But despite his love for the national team, Messi believes the time has come to step aside.
He said the demands of the 2026 World Cup had taken a significant physical and emotional toll, particularly after Argentina’s intense campaign ended in defeat to Spain in the final.
Messi also pointed to Argentina’s dramatic semi-final victory over England as one of the moments that demanded enormous physical and emotional energy from the team.
The decision therefore marks the end of a journey that contained almost every possible emotion.
Messi experienced major disappointments with Argentina before finally reaching the summit of international football.
He lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and suffered consecutive Copa América final defeats in 2015 and 2016. Those setbacks were followed by his decision to briefly retire from international football before returning to lead another generation.
The breakthrough finally came in 2021 when Argentina defeated Brazil to win the Copa América.
Messi then helped the country win the Finalissima in 2022 before achieving the ultimate prize later that year.
Argentina defeated France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final after a thrilling 3-3 draw, allowing Messi to finally lift the trophy he had pursued throughout his career.
He subsequently added another Copa América title in 2024.
According to the Argentine Football Association, Messi leaves the national team as its most-capped player and all-time leading goalscorer, having established records that are likely to remain among the most difficult to break in Argentine football.
His final night against Benin provided a fitting statistical conclusion.
Messi assisted Nicolás Otamendi for Argentina’s opening goal before setting up Nico Paz for the second. He then converted a penalty to complete the 3-0 victory.
The performance took his Argentina scoring record to 126 goals, while his total international appearances reached 208.
Yet the numbers could not fully capture the emotion of the evening.
Messi became visibly emotional during the farewell ceremony as supporters repeatedly chanted his name.
The Monumental, a stadium that has witnessed some of Argentina’s greatest football moments, became a place of gratitude as an entire generation of supporters said goodbye to the player who had represented their hopes for more than two decades.
Messi also acknowledged that his relationship with Argentina would not end simply because he was no longer playing.
He promised to remain behind the national team, supporting the players who currently represent the country and those who will follow.
“Now I’ll be on that side, supporting all the boys, everyone who comes in. Always united,” he said.
For Argentina, the farewell marks the closing of one of the greatest eras in the country’s football history.
For Messi, it is the end of a chapter that began as a teenage prodigy and finished with him as captain, world champion and the most decorated figure of Argentina’s modern generation.
His final match ended in victory.
His final appearance ended with a goal and two assists.
But the moment that will remain longest in the memory of Argentina supporters may be the sight of Messi standing before them in tears and describing the goodbye as the saddest day of his career.
After 21 years, Lionel Messi has finally said goodbye to Argentina.
And Argentina has said goodbye to Lionel Messi.
