(VIDEO) Lionel Messi Bids Farewell to Argentina With Goal, Two Assists as Neymar Lead Emotional Tributes

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Lionel Messi said goodbye to Argentina's national team the way he spent most of his career wearing the No. 10 shirt: at the center of everything.

The 39-year-old captain scored a penalty and set up two goals in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin on Tuesday night at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, closing a 21-year international career that included a World Cup title and cemented his place among the greatest players in the sport's history.

About 85,000 fans packed the stadium for the farewell, chanting "Olé, olé, Messi" as he led the team one final time. Messi ends his Argentina career with 126 goals and 70 assists in 208 international matches.

A final night to remember

The emotional tone was set early. In the 10th minute, the referee paused the match so the crowd and players could honor the Argentine captain with a standing ovation.

Messi then went about orchestrating the win. He set up Argentina's first two goals before stepping up to take a penalty in the 68th minute, which he converted to seal the 3-0 victory and score his 126th and final goal for La Albiceleste.

Fans filled the stands with banners and tributes. One couple wore a hat bearing the message, "It's not a goodbye, it's a 'farewell forever,' Captain."

'The time has come for me to retire'

After the final whistle, Messi took the microphone and addressed the crowd in a rare public speech.

"If it were up to me, I would love to be here for my entire life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing there is," he said.

Messi said the 2026 World Cup, in which Argentina reached the final, had taken a heavy toll.

"I think the time has come for me to retire. The last World Cup took a lot out of us after everything we went through. We arrived in the final with just enough left in us, but we fought until the very end, like we always did," he said.

Tributes pour in

Former teammates and rivals around the world paid tribute to Messi after the match.

Brazilian star Neymar, who formed one of football's most feared attacking trios with Messi and Luis Suárez at Barcelona, praised his longtime friend on social media.

"It's not just Argentina that is grateful to you. The world is grateful for everything you've done for football," Neymar wrote. "Thank you for making me love football even more. It was an honor to face you and, more so, to write history together with you."

Neymar and Messi won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League together at Barcelona, where the "MSN" trio with Suárez became one of the most celebrated attacking combinations in history. The two later reunited at Paris Saint-Germain and won the French Ligue 1 title.

Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's close friend and teammate with both Argentina and Inter Miami, offered a heartfelt tribute.

"He helped me grow not only as a footballer but also as a human being. I've become a better person, a better human, a better athlete, a better father, and a better friend," De Paul said. "I want to tell him I love him. He knows himself that he is my brother and has an incredible heart."

Former Argentina teammate Ángel Di María, who played alongside Messi through years of heartbreak and eventual triumph, was also among those honoring the captain.

A career of records

Messi made his debut for Argentina in 2005 and went on to become the country's all-time leader in appearances and goals.

For years, his international career was defined by near misses. Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and fell in consecutive Copa América finals in 2015 and 2016, prompting Messi to briefly announce his retirement from the national team before reversing course.

The breakthrough came in 2021, when Argentina won the Copa América in Brazil, ending a 28-year drought for a major senior trophy. A year later, Messi led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Argentina added the 2022 Finalissima against Italy and another Copa América title in 2024. Messi also won Olympic gold with Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Games and the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2005.

At club level, Messi spent 17 years at Barcelona, where he won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and Inter Miami in 2023. He has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards.

Messi will continue his club career with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, where he recently signed a contract extension running through the 2028 season.

For Argentina, the farewell marks the end of an era. Coach Lionel Scaloni's team now faces the task of building its future without the player who carried the national team for more than two decades.

For the fans at the Monumental, the result was secondary. As Messi waved goodbye one last time, many in the crowd were in tears, saying farewell to the player who gave Argentina its greatest moments in a generation.