Lionel Messi will bid farewell to the Argentina national team shirt he has worn for more than 21 years in a special match against Benin at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium. The Argentine Football Association will organize a special ceremony for the national team captain.
Messi is concluding his career with Argentina's senior national team with 207 appearances and 125 goals, having begun in 2005. The experienced footballer is also his country's most-capped and highest-scoring player at international level, with 68 assists.
He achieved his first major successes at a young age
Messi emerged at an early age in Argentina's youth national teams. He led the team that won the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands and received both the tournament's best player award and the Golden Boot.
Messi made his senior national team debut that same year and was also part of Argentina's squad that won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The footballer made his first appearance on the world stage at the 2006 World Cup, scoring his first goal in the tournament against Serbia and Montenegro. Argentina were eliminated by Germany on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Disappointments in the 2014 and 2016 finals
Messi led Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final and was named the tournament's best player after scoring four goals. Argentina missed out on the trophy after losing 1-0 to Germany in extra time.
Argentina lost the 2015 Copa America final to Chile on penalties after the match ended goalless. Messi was also part of the team that lost to Chile on penalties in the 2016 Copa America final in the United States, after which he announced that he was temporarily stepping away from the national team.
A trophy era began in 2021
Messi later returned to the national team and led Argentina to the Copa America title in July 2021, as they defeated Brazil 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium. The trophy was Messi's first major title with Argentina's senior national team.
Argentina defeated Italy 3-0 in the Finalissima at Wembley Stadium in 2022. The match, in which Messi delivered an influential performance, was among the team's successful results before the World Cup in Qatar.
He fulfilled his World Cup dream in Qatar
Although Argentina began the 2022 World Cup with a defeat to Saudi Arabia, they progressed through the tournament and reached the final. Messi scored twice in the final against France and led his team to the title, which came after a 3-3 draw and a penalty shootout.
Messi scored seven goals and provided three assists in Qatar, winning the Golden Ball awarded to the tournament's best player. Eight years after the defeat in the 2014 final, he lifted the World Cup trophy.
He continued his run of success with the 2024 Copa America
Argentina won the 2024 Copa America by defeating Colombia 1-0 in extra time in the final. With this result, Argentina, led by Messi, won four major trophies in succession: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.
The final chapter of his international career
Messi took part in the sixth tournament of his career at the 2026 World Cup. Having played in 34 World Cup matches, the footballer increased his total number of goals in the tournament to 21 and became the player with the most appearances in World Cup history.
Messi, who announced his decision to end his international career on August 31 after the tournament, will bid farewell to the Argentina shirt against Benin. In addition to holding Argentina's appearance and scoring records, Messi is ending his career as the player who led the country to its first World Cup title in 36 years.
