Argentina’s football legend Lionel Messi has bid an emotional farewell to the national team.
He ended his 21-year international career with a 3-0 win over Benin in front of 85,000 fans at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.TAG_OPEN_div_39
The 39-year-old Messi scored his 126th goal in his record 208th international match. He assisted on Nicolas Otamendi’s first goal and Nico Paz scored the second. Messi scored a penalty in the 71st minute of the game.TAG_OPEN_div_37
Messi’s farewell became more than the result of the game. He received the love and respect of the fans at the event called ‘The Last Tango’. Speaking after the match, he said that it was a great honor for his life to play in the Argentina jersey for more than 20 years.TAG_OPEN_div_35
}”I want to play for the rest of my life, but I think this moment has come. Playing for the national team is the most beautiful thing you can get,” he said.
A large crowd of fans greeted Messi and his teammates as the bus drove towards the stadium. During this, he broke down in tears in an emotional way. He entered the field with his three children, while his wife Antonella Roccuzzo and mother Celia Cusittini welcomed him from the VIP room with waves.
Before the start of the match, a large Argentine jersey with ‘Gracious’ written on Messi’s number 10 jersey was placed on the field. In the 10th minute of the game, the match was stopped for a while as a mark of respect to his jersey number and the fans gave a minute-long applause. After the final whistle, a drone showed a picture of Messi in the sky and thanked him.
Before Tuesday’s match, the University of Buenos Aires awarded Messi an honorary doctorate. Outside the AFA headquarters, fans waved a huge Argentine flag with his picture reading “The joy of my life”. Former Barcelona teammate Neymar also took to social media to thank Messi for his contribution to football.TAG_OPEN_div_27
Messi’s departure from international football comes four years after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup and ended a 36-year-long title drought. Under his captaincy, Argentina also won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. Argentina finished runners-up in the 2014 and 2026 World Cups.TAG_OPEN_div_25
TAG_OPEN_div_23Messi is under contract with Inter Miami until 2028. However, after the death of his father Jorge two months ago, he indicated that he could retire from football sooner than expected.
Centilia Adriano said Messi had given everything to the national team and that he should be able to enjoy his life and relax.TAG_OPEN_div_21
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