An era comes to an end: Lionel Messi bids farewell to the Argentina national team

The legendary name of Argentine football, Lionel Messi, is preparing to take the field for the last time in his national team career. The 39-year-old star footballer will bid farewell to the national jersey in Argentina's friendly match against Benin.

The match will be played at the Monumental Stadium, where River Plate plays its home games and which is one of the largest stadiums in South America with a capacity of approximately 85 thousand spectators. The match in Buenos Aires will begin tomorrow at 02:00 Turkish time.

The Monumental Stadium stands out as the stadium where Messi has scored the most goals for the Argentina national team on home soil. Messi has not experienced a defeat in the 28 matches he has played with the national team at this stadium; he recorded 22 wins and 6 draws, and celebrated goals 19 times.

The Argentine star scored his first goal at the Monumental in 2008 against Uruguay in the World Cup qualifiers. Messi also scored hat-tricks in matches against Bolivia in 2021 and 2024.

A FAREWELL MARKED BY RECORDS

Messi is leaving behind the Argentina national team jersey he wore for 21 years with records and trophies. As the player with the most caps for his country with 207 matches, Messi will also end his career as the highest-scoring footballer in South America in a national team jersey with 125 goals.

The star footballer won a total of 6 trophies with Argentina, including 1 FIFA World Cup, 2 Copa America titles, 1 Finalissima, 1 Olympic gold, and 1 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Messi's last major tournament in his national team career was the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Argentina reached the final in the tournament but was defeated 1-0 by Spain in extra time, finishing the event with a silver medal. Messi scored 8 goals in the 2026 World Cup.

Messi, who is the player with the most appearances in World Cup history with 34 matches, recorded 23 wins in these games. The Argentine star, who has played in six different World Cups, is the second-highest scorer in tournament history with 21 goals. Kylian Mbappe tops the list with 22 goals.

News Source: 12punto