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Messi Ends Argentina Career With Goal, 2 Assists in 3-0 Farewell Win
By @sharedot · · 8 pages
- Sports
- Soccer
- Argentina
- Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi scored a penalty and set up two more goals as Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in his record 208th and final match for the national team.
The perfect send-off at the Monumental
Lionel Messi closed his Argentina career the way he defined it for two decades: with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin at Buenos Aires's packed Monumental stadium, in front of roughly 85,000 fans. After a goalless first half, Messi's corner kick was headed in by Nicolás Otamendi in the 48th minute, he then set up 22-year-old Nico Paz for the second, and converted a left-foot penalty in the 71st minute for his 126th international goal. The 39-year-old played his record-extending 208th match for the Albiceleste, wearing a special-edition jersey whose golden No. 10 printed with goat's horns nodded to his "GOAT" status, per News4JAX.
A stadium that stopped to salute its captain
The occasion transcended the match itself. The referee paused play in the 10th minute — Messi's shirt number — so the entire stadium and both teams could pay tribute, according to theScore, while Benin's stand-in captain Sessi D'Almeida presented Messi with a gift before kickoff. Fans chanted "Olé, olé, Messi" and sang a song inviting all to celebrate alongside him, and a pre-match ceremony unfurled a giant commemorative jersey reading "Gracias." Manager Lionel Scaloni wept during the national anthem, Messi's sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro watched from the stands, and fireworks and a drone show recreating Messi lifting the World Cup lit up the sky at the final whistle.
From 90-second red card to GOAT farewell
The tears that flowed at the Monumental bookended a career of improbable arc. According to The Indian Express, Messi's international debut on August 17, 2005 lasted just 90 seconds before he was sent off against Hungary, and his journey was fraught with frustration until he finally lifted the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, emulating Diego Maradona. He announced on Aug.
Records: 126 goals, 66 assists, six World Cups
The numbers confirm an unmatched international résumé. The Indian Express reports Messi finished with 126 goals in 207 appearances for Argentina — second all-time among men behind only Cristiano Ronaldo's 146 — and that his 66 assists are an all-time record in international football. He ends as his country's all-time leading scorer, appeared in a record-tying six World Cups alongside Ronaldo, and scored 21 career World Cup goals.
"I don't want to leave this place"
An emotional Messi addressed the Monumental crowd after the final whistle, in remarks translated by theScore. "I can only thank you all. It has been a huge pride to defend this shirt for over 20 years," he said. To his teammates: "You made all of my dreams come true. The World Cup, the Copa America, the Finalissima. I was surrounded by warriors." And to the fans: "I don't want to leave this place. I don't want to leave the field. I love all of you, and I will miss all of you." Before the match, the University of Buenos Aires awarded him an honorary doctorate at the national team's Ezeiza training complex, per News4JAX.
What comes next for Argentina's No. 10
The farewell also marked a changing of the guard. 10 shirt, theScore reports, noting that Argentina has not yet assigned the number. Messi, who remains active at club level with Inter Miami and recently won the Campeones Cup there, his fourth trophy with the team, will simply keep playing without the blue-and-white shirt he defined for 21 years. For Argentina, the post-Messi era now officially begins.
Sources
- news4jax.com › Messi caps Argentina farewell with a penalty and 2 assists in a 3-0 win over Benin
- thescore.com › Last Tango: Messi scores, adds 2 assists in final | theScore
- indianexpress.com › Most goals in international football: Messi ends Argentina career as second highest scorer
- ksl.com › Lionel Messi prepares for his final match for Argentina