Lionel Messi played the last game of the World Cup as a member of the Argentine national team in July. On Tuesday, the soccer icon played his last international match of any kind at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Tuesday’s friendly between Argentina and Benin turned out to be an emotional farewell and a chance for a Messi-adoring nation to celebrate their hero one last time on the pitch. And Messi, in the end, could not pretend to be anything else.
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Messi said after the game: “It will be very painful not to come back.” “I swear I would like to come until the end of my life, because playing for Argentina is the best thing that can happen to you.”
In the match, Messi also played a role in every goal in Argentina’s 3-0 win, adding two more assists and a final international goal.
Messi’s final was cause for celebration throughout Argentina
The festivities began long before game time. In Rosario, about 185 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, a helicopter flew a massive replica of Messi’s Argentina number 10 jersey around town.
Tears flowed before the festivities began in Buenos Aires. When the bus of the Argentina team arrived at the stadium, the cameras captured Messi’s last pre-game visit with his teammates in tears.
Upon entering the stadium, Messi and the Argentina crowd were filled with emotion as the national anthem was played.
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At the end of the song, fireworks went off around another giant replica of Messi’s midfield jersey.
Once the game started, it wasn’t long before another tribute started.
More fireworks and an in-game celebration followed by a prolonged standing ovation and the game was stopped at the 10-minute mark for the Benin players to pay their respects directly to Messi.
But Messi’s day is not over. Fans didn’t come just to watch him play for 10 minutes. And he gave the home crowd plenty of excitement throughout the game.
In the 26th minute, Messi scored a free kick that was denied by Marcel Dandjinou, the goalkeeper of the Benin national team.
Moments later, he missed another shot on a pass that was deflected back by Dandjinou.
After the break, Messi gave the fans a show with two assists and a late goal in Argentina’s 3-0 win.
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Messi contributes to all 3 goals of Argentina
With the game scoreless, Messi took a corner kick from the left wing in the 48th minute. The pass found Nicolas Otamendi, who sent the ball into the net with his right foot to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
A few minutes later, Messi made another assist.
This time he found Nico Paz from the right touchline outside the penalty area. Paz curled a left-footed effort between Dandjinou and the post in the 61st minute to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.
Later, in the 71st minute, Messi himself had the opportunity to put the ball into the net. Roughness on the field awarded Argentina a penalty.
Who else but Messi would accept? Messi lines up and fires a left-footed shot that sends Dandjinou diving the wrong way.
Messi’s teammates hugged him as he savored the moment in front of the entire stadium. And he stayed in the game until the final whistle.
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Messi had one last chance to add to his tally with a free kick in extra time that he sent too high into the net. But the miss has done little to extinguish what has been added to a coda to an illustrious international career.
Lionel Messi celebrates scoring the last goal of his international career.
(AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
After the job, the match official gave Messi all the yellow and red cards in his pocket as souvenirs from his last game. Messi hugged and shook hands with his teammates and Benin rivals.
The party was far from over, and fans stayed in the stands to take part in the post-game festivities. A drone show celebrating Messi and Argentina winning the World Cup from 2022.
Messi then took the microphone to address the fans for the last time as a member of the Argentina national team.