Lionel Messi ended his Argentina international career with a goal and two assists as the world champions defeated Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night.
The match, played on October 6, marked Messi’s final appearance for Argentina after a 21-year international career.
Former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr was in charge of Benin for the farewell fixture.
According to Inter Miami, Messi provided the assist for Nicolás Otamendi’s opener from a corner in the 48th minute before setting up Nico Paz for Argentina’s second goal in the 61st minute.
Messi then converted a penalty in the 71st minute to complete the 3-0 victory.
Inter Miami reported the match in a report published on October 6, 2026, saying Messi had been “directly involved in each of Argentina’s goals.”
The club described it as Messi’s “final international appearance” and said he finished the night with “a goal and a pair of assists.”
Reuters reported the match at 02:21 UTC on October 7, 2026, saying Messi had brought the curtain down on his international career in front of more than 85,000 spectators.
Speaking after the game, Messi said, according to Reuters: “It’s hard to talk.”
He added: “There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head.”
Reflecting on his Argentina career, Messi said: “It was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years.”
He also said: “Playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”
Reuters reported that Messi finished his Argentina career as the country’s most-capped player with 208 appearances and its record goalscorer with 126 goals.
The match had been announced by FIFA as Messi’s farewell appearance for Argentina.
