For more than two decades, Lionel Messi carried the expectations of an entire football nation on his shoulders. When he walked onto the pitch at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental on 6 October 2026, there was nothing left for him to prove. The 39-year-old had already won the World Cup, two Copa América titles and the Finalissima with Argentina. This time, more than 85,000 supporters had gathered simply to say goodbye.
Messi entered the stadium with his three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, as his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and mother Celia watched from the stands. A giant Argentina shirt bearing his famous number 10 and the word “Gracias” was displayed on the pitch. When the national anthem began, Messi was visibly emotional, as was coach Lionel Scaloni. The atmosphere was not that of an ordinary friendly against Benin; it was the closing scene of a 21-year international career.
His story with Argentina had begun in far less glamorous circumstances. On 17 August 2005, an 18-year-old Messi made his senior debut against Hungary in Budapest. He came on as a substitute but was sent off seconds later following an incident with defender Vilmos Vanczák. It was an awkward beginning for a teenager who would eventually become Argentina’s most-capped player and greatest goalscorer.
At Barcelona, Messi was already becoming one of the world’s most celebrated players, but his relationship with Argentina was complicated. The country expected him to reproduce his club brilliance in the national team, while comparisons with Diego Maradona added another layer of pressure. Argentina’s failures in major tournaments repeatedly brought the spotlight back to Messi, particularly after defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was perhaps the closest he had come to fulfilling Argentina’s expectations at that point. He led the team to the final, only for Germany to win 1-0 through Mario Götze’s extra-time goal. A year later, Argentina lost the Copa América final to Chile on penalties. The same thing happened in 2016, again against Chile. After the second defeat, Messi announced his retirement from international football at the age of 29.
He returned, however, and what followed changed the story completely. In 2021, Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 at the Maracanã to win the Copa América, giving Messi his first major senior international trophy. A year later came the Finalissima against Italy, followed by the defining moment of his career in Qatar.
Argentina’s 2022 World Cup campaign began with a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia, but the team recovered. Messi scored, created and led from the front as Argentina reached the final against France. The match ended 3-3 after extra time, with Messi scoring twice, before Argentina won on penalties. He finally lifted the World Cup as captain, ending one of the longest-running debates surrounding his international career.
Another Copa América followed in 2024. By then, the player who had once been criticised for not delivering with Argentina had become the central figure of the country’s most successful period in decades. With the senior team, he had won the 2021 Copa América, 2022 Finalissima, 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América. Including the 2005 Under-20 World Cup and the 2008 Olympic gold medal, his Argentina honours stretched even further. (AFA)
Then came 2026, his sixth World Cup. Argentina reached the final again, but Spain won 1-0. Messi subsequently confirmed his retirement from international football, bringing an end to the uncertainty that had surrounded his future with the national team.
Still, one final appearance remained.
On 6 October, the Monumental became the stage for Messi’s farewell. Argentina faced Benin in what was officially a friendly, but the significance of the night went far beyond the result. Supporters applauded when the match reached the 10th minute, a tribute to the number Messi had made synonymous with his name.
He responded in the way he had done throughout much of his career: by playing football. Messi helped Nicolás Otamendi score the opening goal and later assisted Nico Paz before winning and converting a penalty in the 71st minute. It was his 126th international goal. Argentina won 3-0, and Messi finished his career with 208 appearances and 126 goals, both national records. (Reuters)
Then came the words everyone had been waiting to hear
Standing on the pitch after the final whistle, Messi addressed the supporters. There was no next match to discuss, no tournament to prepare for and no future Argentina campaign ahead of him. His speech became a reflection on what the national team had meant throughout his life.
He spoke about the difficulty of finding words in such an emotional moment and remembered his father, Jorge Messi, who died in August. He also reflected on the privilege of representing Argentina, saying that playing for the national team had been one of the best things that could have happened to him.
Messi thanked his teammates, coaches and supporters, while acknowledging the difficult years before Argentina’s golden period. He said he would miss the team, the dressing room and the experience of representing his country, but accepted that it was time for a new generation to take over. (AFA)
There was something almost circular about the ending. Messi’s international story had started in Budapest with a red card after only a few seconds on the pitch. It ended 21 years later in Buenos Aires with a goal, two assists, a 3-0 victory and a stadium full of supporters standing to applaud him.
Between those two nights were the defeats, the criticism, the lost finals and the brief retirement. There was also the return, the Copa América triumph, the Finalissima, the World Cup in Qatar and another Copa América. Messi’s international career became a story not simply about winning, but about persistence.
He leaves Argentina having played six World Cups, reached three World Cup finals and won one. He became the country’s most-capped player and leading goalscorer, ending with 208 appearances and 126 goals. The statistics explain the scale of his achievement, but they do not fully capture what his career meant to Argentina.