The last night in sky blue and white
The Messi farewell match is here: Buenos Aires turns out in force as the captain plays his 208th and final game for Argentina.
Buenos Aires Lionel Messi pulls on the Argentina shirt one last time tonight, and a country that has watched him for 21 years has come to say thank you.
The Messi farewell match against Benin is staged at River Plate’s Monumental. Tickets sold out in under two hours, and the ticketing site buckled under the demand. In addition, prices ranged from 90,000 to 480,000 pesos, depending on the seat.
Why the Messi farewell match was needed
Messi, 39, ended his international career in late August, weeks after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain. He had also been weighing his future after the death of his father, Jorge.
However, the Spain final was his last appearance, so there was no goodbye at home. Therefore, the Argentine FA stepped in. President Claudio Tapia said the invitation came after talking with coach Lionel Scaloni, and Messi accepted. Meanwhile, the 2022 World Cup winners were invited to join him, and Nicolás Otamendi, already retired from the national team, was called up for the tribute too.
A career in four trophies
He debuted for Argentina in 2005, aged 18. Since then, he has become the country’s top scorer with 125 goals, and he holds the record for most caps too.
Argentina after the Messi farewell match
Argentina has already started life after its captain. For example, the team opened this international window with a 4-0 win over Bolivia, with goals from Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, Cristian Romero and José Manuel López. Finally, Messi’s club career goes on, since he continues to play for Inter Miami in MLS.
Read more: [Your related Argentina post] · [Your World Cup 2026 post]
