Messi Signs Off for Argentina With Goal and Two Assists in Benin Win

Lionel Messi brought his Argentina career to a close with a 3-0 win over Benin, scoring once and creating the other two goals in an emotional final international appearance. The result capped a journey that took him from a closely scrutinised young forward to the central figure in Argentina’s Copa America and World Cup triumphs.

Key takeaways

• Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in Messi’s last match for the national team.
• The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner finished with a goal and two assists.
• Deco praised Messi’s extraordinary contribution to football in a social-media tribute.
• Barcelona recalled Messi’s 2008 Olympic gold medal with Argentina in their own message.
• Attention will now turn to Messi’s Inter Miami career and the prospect of a Barcelona farewell event.

Tributes follow Argentina farewell

The occasion prompted emotional scenes among Argentina supporters and players as Messi ended his time with La Albiceleste. His final display against Benin underlined the influence he retained at the end of his international career, with his direct involvement in all three goals ensuring a comfortable victory.

Deco, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona and is now a senior figure at the Catalan club, saluted his former team-mate. He described Messi’s Argentina story as legendary, congratulated him on each stage of an exceptional career and said football supporters around the world owed him gratitude.

Barcelona waited until the final whistle before publishing their tribute. The club pointed back to the gold medal Messi won with Argentina at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, presenting it as an early landmark in an international career that later delivered the Copa America and the World Cup.

Barcelona said Messi had made history throughout his Argentina career and had given the country’s shirt even greater significance. The message also reflected the enduring link between the club and a player widely regarded as its greatest ever.

Camp Nou farewell remains in focus

Messi left Barcelona in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain, departing through a tearful press conference rather than a stadium goodbye. He later joined Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, while a proposed return to Barcelona did not come together before his move to the United States.

That unresolved departure has kept calls for a testimonial or tribute match at Camp Nou alive. Relations between Messi’s representatives and Barcelona president Joan Laporta have remained strained since the exit, although Laporta has said the board wants to stage an occasion that properly honours the former captain.

With his international chapter complete, Messi’s remaining playing career is now centred on Florida. His final Argentina outing nevertheless provided a fitting summary of his transformation with the national side: from a player facing intense national scrutiny to an icon who delivered the major trophies Argentina had long sought.