Argentina
Messi scored in his last game for Argentina.
Argentina beat Benin, 3–0, at the Monumental. The captain, 39, had a goal and two assists in front of more than 85,000 people. It was his 126th goal for the national team.
The Rocket News · Sports Desk · Buenos AiresOctober 7, 2026 · 3 min read
BUENOS AIRES — Lionel Messi played his last game for Argentina on Tuesday night and left with a goal and two assists. Argentina beat Benin, 3–0, in a friendly at a packed Monumental. Reuters said more than 85,000 people were there. Messi is 39. He has worn the national shirt for 21 years. The night was a farewell, not a qualifier.
The first half was scoreless. Messi then set up Nicolás Otamendi, who finished the opener. Otamendi spent 17 years beside him on the national team, including four World Cups, and was ending his own international career. Messi set up Nico Paz for the second. He converted a penalty for 3–0, his 126th goal for Argentina. Landmarks in the capital were lit in sky blue and white.
His 126th international goal.
The photograph is Messi in the Argentina shirt at the World Cup on July 19, not Tuesday night at the Monumental. No free frame from the farewell was on file. The Sports desk files the last match.
Wire and further reading: reuters.com
Filed under Sports
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