Lionel Messi plays final Argentina match tonight against Benin after 21 years, 207 caps and 125 goals

Key points

• Messi retires as Argentina’s most-capped player and top scorer, with 125 goals and 68 assists in 207 games.
• The captain’s armband passes to Cristian Romero after the match; coach Lionel Scaloni says no one gets the No. 10 shirt until after Messi’s game.
• Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0 in their first post-World Cup games without him.

Lionel Messi will pull on Argentina’s sky blue and white jersey for the final time on Tuesday, closing a 21-year international career with a friendly against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Some 85,000 fans will fill South America’s largest stadium for the farewell, with millions more watching on television.

The 39-year-old is stepping away two and a half months after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain, a defeat in which a visibly tired Messi was outplayed and several teammates were later banned and fined for rough tactics.

“I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance,” Messi wrote when he announced his retirement in August.

On Monday, he trained for the last time with the squad at the complex in Ezeiza that bears his name. Nahuel Nieva, a retail worker who took the day off to watch, told AFP: “You can’t ask for more, that’s it.”

Numbers that will stand for years

Messi leaves as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals and a record 68 assists in 207 matches since his 2005 debut.

The crowning moment came in Qatar in 2022, when he ended the country’s 36-year World Cup drought and sealed his place as the heir to Diego Maradona.

Along the way he collected the 2005 World Youth title, Olympic gold in 2008, Copa America wins in 2021 and 2024 and the 2022 Finalissima.

However, there were painful nights too: the 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany, the 2016 Copa America loss to Chile and this year’s final against Spain.

Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028. Even so, following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago, he has hinted he may retire from club football sooner than planned.

Life after Leo

The sendoff doubles as a handover. Qatar teammates Cristian Romero, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez will all play, and the captain’s armband passes to Romero afterward.

Coach Lionel Scaloni has promised to fill the “void,” and early signs are promising. In their first games without Messi, Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 in Cordoba and then thrashed Burkina Faso 7-0 at the Monumental on Saturday, with Franco Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni scoring their first international goals.

One question remains open. FIFA has blocked Argentina’s plan to retire the No. 10 shirt, so someone will eventually wear it. “Until Leo’s game, we won’t give the number 10 to anyone,” Scaloni said. “After that, we’ll see.”