Lionel Messi ended his 21-year international career on Tuesday night, playing his final match for Argentina in front of about 85,000 fans at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. The 39-year-old scored from the penalty spot in the 71st minute and set up the opening goal for veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi as Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly billed as "The Last Tango". Nico Paz also scored. It was Messi's record 208th appearance for his country and his 126th international goal. Some reports credited him with two assists; France 24 and Al Jazeera Arabic describe one assist and one goal.

The occasion mattered more than the result. Tickets for the stadium, home to the club River Plate, sold out in about two hours. Messi was seen wiping away tears as the team bus moved through crowds of well-wishers. He walked onto the pitch with his three children while his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and his mother, Celia Cuccittini, watched from a VIP box. Members of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad were invited with their families. A giant shirt reading "Gracias" above the number 10 was unfurled before kick-off, play was stopped in the 10th minute for a minute-long ovation, and a drone show above the stadium displayed his image after the final whistle. Speaking to the crowd for several minutes, Messi said that not coming back would bring great pain, but that "it is time", adding that the last World Cup had been too much of everything.

The farewell follows a difficult summer. Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final 1-0 to Spain in New Jersey on 19 July, and Messi left the pitch in tears. Reports say he had already decided to retire from international football two days later, announcing it on 31 August. In early August his father, Jorge, died aged 68 in Rosario, the city where Messi was born. Messi, who is under contract with Inter Miami in the United States until 2028, has since said he may stop playing sooner than expected. Before the match, the University of Buenos Aires awarded him an honorary doctorate. Former Barcelona team-mate Neymar wrote on X: "The world thanks you for everything you did for football."

Messi's international record is among the most remarkable in the sport. He holds Argentina's records for appearances and goals, as well as records for matches and wins at the World Cup, where he scored 21 goals, one fewer than France's Kylian Mbappé. He also holds the record for Copa América appearances. His career with the national team began in 2005, when he was sent off just a minute after coming on as a substitute against Hungary. Success came late: his first major senior title was the 2021 Copa América, followed by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which ended a 36-year wait for a third world title, and another Copa América in 2024.

For many Argentines, the farewell marked the end of an era in which Messi emerged from the shadow of Diego Maradona, the country's other football icon. "He has more than earned it, let him enjoy himself, let him rest," fan Cecilia Adriano, 52, told AFP.