Lionel Messi has made his final appearance for Argentina, bringing an emotional end to a remarkable 21-year international career.
Messi, widely regarded as one of football’s greatest players, ended his time with the national team in a 3-0 victory over Benin on Tuesday. He had announced his international retirement on August 31 at the age of 39, bringing to a close a career that began with his Argentina debut against Hungary in August 2005.
His international career included six World Cup appearances, from 2006 through 2026, matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. Messi scored 21 goals across those tournaments, second only to France’s Kylian Mbappé, who has 22. The defining achievement of Messi’s international career came in 2022, when he led Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar. He also reached the World Cup final in 2014 and 2026.
Messi leaves Argentina as the country’s leading international scorer with 126 goals, more than twice the previous record of Gabriel Batistuta’s 54. Only Ronaldo, with 146 goals for Portugal, has scored more in men’s international football. He also holds Argentina’s record for international appearances.
