Messi Bids Farewell: A Goal and Two Assists in a 3-0 Win Over Benin Close a 21-Year Argentina Career
BUENOS AIRES - On the night of October 6, 39-year-old Lionel Messi played his final match for Argentina. In a friendly billed as the Last Tango, Argentina beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium, with Messi setting up Nicolas Otamendi - also ending his international career - for the opener, then assisting Nico Paz, widely tipped as an heir to the No. 10 shirt, before converting a penalty himself. The goal was his 126th for his country.
More than 85,000 fans packed the Monumental. A giant No. 10 jersey reading Gracias was unfurled on the pitch, play paused in the 10th minute for a standing ovation, and a drone light show lit the sky after the final whistle. Messi wept during the anthem and told supporters afterwards that defending the shirt for over 20 years had been a huge honour, that not coming back would be painful, and that he had given it everything. In his hometown of Rosario, a matching giant jersey was displayed at the National Flag Memorial.
Messi debuted in 2005 and closes his international career with national records of 208 appearances and 126 goals across 21 years, having captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup and the Copa America titles of 2021 and 2024. He announced his international retirement at the end of August, after the death of his father, turning an otherwise routine friendly into a national moment.
For Argentine football, an era has turned. Lionel Scaloni's side won all three friendlies in this window; the task ahead is renewal without Messi, and the inheritance of the No. 10 shirt and the team's leadership will occupy Argentine media for months.
Sources: Compiled from the Associated Press match report carried by U.S. outlets, Reuters' October 7 follow-up, and reporting by Fox Sports Australia and MLS.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Hossein Zohrevand (Tasnim News), CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
