Star Lineup Against Benin

A Tear-Filled Farewell! Messi’s Final Match for Argentina

The end of a legendary era!(Bild: Krone-Collage/AFP/PAUL ELLIS, AFP/MARCELO MANERA, Screenshot/Instagram_leomessi)

What seemed unimaginable to millions of soccer fans around the globe for decades is now coming true. Lionel Messi is taking the field for the Argentine national soccer team for the last time. In the home game against Benin (see live updates below), one of the greatest soccer players in history will receive an emotional send-off. A spot in the starting lineup—followed by a well-deserved standing ovation—is, of course, a must! 

Here’s the live ticker:

Emotional highlights from Messi’s career:

Tears are guaranteed as this living legend bids farewell. Argentina’s friendly match against Benin in Buenos Aires will serve as a farewell for Lionel Messi, who has given unforgettable moments not only to Argentine fans.

The reactions:

Fan reactions:

It marks the end of a 21-year journey that began with the multiple World Player of the Year flying under the radar in his home country and having to earn the affection of his compatriots little by little.

Long Under the Radar
At age 13 in 2000, Messi had already joined FC Barcelona’s youth academy; the Argentine Football Association (AFA) had long failed to notice the prodigious young player, who had emigrated from Rosario with his family. Nor were they at the 2003 U-17 World Cup, when Argentina lost the semifinal to Spain 2–3. Spain’s two-goal scorer Cesc Fàbregas, then Messi’s teammate at La Masia, is said to have explained to Argentine delegates afterward: “You lost because we have your best player at Barça, and he’s a genius.”

When the AFA finally set out to “bring home” the prodigal son, the process was not without its hiccups. For example, the AFA inquired at Barça about a certain “Mecci” with a supposedly Italian-sounding name. Hurdles like these were overcome, however, and in 2004, Messi made his debut for the Albiceleste’s U-20 team. But skepticism lingered. At the 2005 U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, Messi started on the bench as Argentina lost its opening match.

First national team withdrawal in 2016
“There was strong opposition to calling up a boy who wasn’t playing in the country,” said Messi biographer Sergio Levinsky. Later, he was criticized for failing to replicate his club form, and some fans labeled him “pecho frio”—someone lacking heart or passion. But the love grew. After losing the 2016 Copa América final—his fourth loss in a major tournament—Messi withdrew from the national team in frustration, and the public promptly urged him to return.

No one would regret that Messi continued. Six years later, after Argentina’s first World Cup title in 36 years, the former FC Barcelona star had also carved out a legacy for himself on the national team that served as the crowning achievement of his long career. It almost happened a second time this year at the World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. It wasn’t until the final against Spain—Messi’s second home—that the journey came to an end.

This time, the farewell is final
Unlike after his retirement from the national team ten years ago,this timeit will be afinalfarewell. “It was a decision that hurt me deep in my soul and still hurts, but I understand that it’s time,” Messi had explained at the end of August. The lost World Cup final—and with it, the shattered dream of successfully defending the title—followed by the death of his father, Jorge, at just 68 years old, had left the 39-year-old pensive and helped push him toward taking this decisive step.

“There remains a sense of sadness that he won’t be there anymore. And not just from a soccer perspective,” Scaloni said. But Messi—after whom the federation’s training center in Ezeiza near Buenos Aires is named—certainly won’t be disappearing from the world stage of soccer just yet. His contract with Inter Miami remains valid through the end of 2028. In any case, he has long since ushered in the next phase of his life. His portfolio encompasses a small empire: a hotel chain, real estate, and even two Spanish soccer clubs.