Emotional Farewell for Great Player Messi from National Team

Kathmandu. Argentine football star Lionel Messi bade farewell to international football following a friendly match against Benin on Wednesday. The match held at the Estadio Mās Monumental in Buenos Aires marked the final game of Messi's international career.

In the match held this morning according to Nepali time, Messi scored one goal and provided two assists to lead Argentina to a comfortable 3–0 victory over Benin. This was Messi's 208th international match for Argentina. Along with the victory, an emotional farewell was held for him. The 39-year-old Messi played the final game of his 20-year-long international career in front of more than 85,000 spectators at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires this morning.

Messi, who has played the most matches for Argentina, has scored 125 goals in 207 games for the national team. He has also contributed 68 assists. In the 10th minute of the match, he shared an emotional moment on the pitch following a minute of applause in honor of his famous number 10 jersey. Members of the squad that helped Argentina win the World Cup title in 2022, along with their families, were also present to watch the match.

One of the most decorated players in Argentine football history, Messi won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, as well as the FIFA World Cup and Finalissima in 2022.

Having announced his retirement from international football on August 31 after Argentina lost to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, Messi has now officially stepped away from the national team.

Argentina ranks second in the FIFA world rankings, while Benin is in 89th place. Benin is coached by Gernot Rohr, who led Nigeria in the 2018 World Cup. Argentine fans celebrated Messi's farewell match as a commemoration of his more than two-decade-long international career. — ANI