Lionel Messi Says Goodbye to Argentina with One Last Goal

Lionel Messi has spent more than two decades trying to give Argentina everything. On Tuesday night, in front of more than 85,000 people at Buenos Aires’ Monumental, he finally gave them a goodbye.

He still had the familiar touch to cap off the last game of his national team career, recording two assists and scoring from the penalty spot in a friendly win over Benin. The 39-year-old set up Nicolás Otamendi and Nico Paz before scoring from the penalty spot in the second half, giving himself one last goal in the famous sky-blue and white. But when the final whistle came, Messi stood in the middle of the pitch in tears, surrounded by his teammates, knowing he had played his last game for Argentina.

“The greatest player of his generation” was saying farewell to the jerseyJerseyA shirt worn by players on a sports team, usually printed with the team's colors, a player's name, and a number. Jerseys have become streetwear staples, and wearing one fromGo to Jersey Glossary that once brought him as much frustration as it did glory.

He told the crowd that playing for Argentina had been a “huge source of pride,” and admitted that not returning to the national team would be deeply painful. “I love all of you, I’m going to miss you,” he says.

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It was a fitting end to one of football’s longest-running love stories. Messi’s relationship with Argentina was not always an easy one. The boy from Rosario moved to Barcelona at 13, built his career in Spain, and spent years being accused by some Argentine supporters of lacking the passion associated with Diego Maradona. After losing the 2016 Copa América final, he even briefly retired from international football.

Then came the trophies, with Messi winning the Copa América in 2021, the Finalissima in 2022, and finally the World Cup in Qatar later that year. Another Copa América followed in 2024. The criticism gradually gave way to something more heartfelt, as Argentina welcomed him.

On Wednesday, Messi followed the farewell with an Instagram post confirming that the decision was final. “Yesterday was my last match, and I already miss wearing the sky blue and white,” he writes, describing the journey as one filled with joy and sadness. He also remembered Maradona, saying he believed the late legend had helped Argentina from heaven.

And, because this is football in 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo had something to say too. “Leo, so many years defending your country and a story that will live on forever,” Ronaldo says. “You have all my respect.”

Messi is not retiring from football altogether. He simply will not wear Argentina’s No. 10 again. For a player who spent 21 years trying to make that shirt his own, it was quite a way to give it back.