Messi played his final match for Argentina on Tuesday night, leading the team to a 3-0 win over Benin. The 39-year-old superstar scored a goal and gave an assist. "Not coming here anymore and no longer being with the Argentina National Team is going to hurt a lot," he said.
Messi had one final chapter of gilded magic left in his boots Tuesday night. In his farewell appearance in an Argentina shirt in a packed El Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, the 39-year-old produced a final pair of a goal and an assist to lead the hosts to a 3-0 win over Benin.
Emotions, expectedly, ran high. The tears of not wearing the sky-blue and white shirt again and the ecstasy of blasting the ball into the net one final time, nearly conjuring up another free-kick pearler, the Rosario-born superstar had it all one final time.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, Argentina received a raucous applause in the 10th minute, the number that glittered on the back of his shirt, as it did in another era with Diego Maradona.
His international debut 21 years ago against Hungary lasted 90 seconds after a red card. After 90 minutes of passionate football on Tuesday night, Messi capped his career as the second-highest international goal scorer (126) and the most assists (66), the last of which came in the 48th minute as he provided for Nicolas Otamendi.
"I have nothing left to do but thank this shirt. For 20 years, even through the worst moments, I never stopped fighting, pushing forward, giving everything I had and wanting to be here," Messi said in an emotional post-match speech.
"Not coming here anymore and no longer being with the Argentina National Team is going to hurt a lot. If it were up to me, I would love to be here for my entire life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing there is.
"I think I'm talking more than ever today because I simply don't want this moment to end," Messi said.
After the World Cup dream eluded him on four occasions in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, Messi and Co. produced a month of superlative football en route to the crown in Qatar in 2022. Messi's men nearly secured a dream title defence earlier this year, only to be stopped at the hurdle against a rugged Spanish contingent. Age or the enduring American heat did not deter Messi until then, having recorded eight goals and four assists.
"But I think the time has come for me to retire. The last World Cup took a lot out of us after everything we went through. We arrived in the final with just enough left in us, but we fought until the very end, like we always did. We came very close to winning it again, and despite everything that was said about us, nothing strange happened. The match against England took a lot out of us because we gave absolutely everything."
Messi's 'Last Tango' was played with members of Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2022-winning squad and their families on hand to mark the occasion.
"In 2022, we had the dream of fulfilling not only my dream, but the dream of an entire country: becoming world champions again. And we did it. "We won the World Cup, the Copa América, the Finalissima... I'm incredibly grateful for everything I experienced with this National Team," Messi added.
The Argentina captain hailed the warrior-mindset of his teammates that powered back to world football dominance this decade and helped him fulfill his childhood World Cup dream.
"But this journey wasn't only about 2022 or this last World Cup. So many teammates fought alongside me for this shirt long before we finally became world champions. Never doubt how much every one of them fought and gave for Argentina. It was a privilege and an honor to share the pitch with all of my teammates and to share so much of our lives together away from football. Every time we stepped onto the pitch, I knew we could compete against anyone because I had warriors beside me who were willing to leave absolutely everything out there.
"To achieve the biggest things, you need a strong group. And it's during the most difficult moments that you truly discover what kind of team you have. That's one of the biggest reasons we were able to achieve everything we did.
"And especially to this group: Thank You. They helped me fulfill the dream I had since I was a child. They helped me become a world champion. "I also want to thank the people. I was lucky enough to play in so many cities across Argentina, and everywhere I went, I received an incredible amount of love.
"Here, in this stadium, I experienced one of the happiest days of my life: our first match at home after becoming world champions. It was beautiful. And today might be one of the saddest because I'm standing here saying goodbye. "I'm going to miss all of you so much, but I'll always be on your side. I'll be supporting these boys and everyone who comes after them.
Messi also remembered his father, Jorge, who passed away last month. "There are so many emotions today, but the first person I think about is my father."
"There are so many emotions going through me right now. I'm surely forgetting many things I would like to say because this is a very difficult moment for me. The first person who comes to my mind is my dad. I'm going to miss playing here so much. I love you all, and I'm proud to be Argentine," Messi added.