Messi farewells Argentina with a goal, two assists and 85,000 fans on their feet at El Monumental

Lionel Messi has closed the book on his Argentina career with a night that captured everything he has meant to the national team: a goal, two assists, a win and a stadium that never stopped singing his name. El Monumental in Buenos Aires was sold out, with 85,000 people filling the stands to send off their captain in a friendly against Benin that became a tribute from the first whistle to the last.

• Messi scored a penalty and added two assists in his farewell match against Benin.
• El Monumental gave Messi a standing ovation in the 10th minute and throughout the game.
• Nicolás Otamendi opened the scoring in the 48th minute from a Messi corner.
• Nico Paz scored the second goal and staked his claim as the future of the number 10 shirt.
• The Albiceleste captain leaves the national team on his own terms, with plenty of football still in his legs.

Messi's most emotional night in an Argentina shirt

The emotion was already visible before the ball started rolling. During the national anthem, Messi's face told the story of a long-considered goodbye. There was no hiding what the night meant. Every gesture carried the weight of an era coming to an end, and the stands answered with the first of many prolonged ovations.

In the 10th minute, the match itself paused. Fans rose to their feet to deliver an ovation that felt like it could go on forever. Messi, clearly moved, placed his hand over his chest as the noise washed over him. Turning an international fixture into a moment of that magnitude is reserved for a select few, and Argentina's number 10 has always belonged in that category.

Argentina controlled the first half with Messi pulling the strings

The Albiceleste quickly asserted themselves. Julián Álvarez was heavily involved in the opening exchanges, making smart runs and linking well with the captain. Messi dropped between the lines, called for the ball constantly and raised the tempo every time he found a yard of space. Argentina controlled the flow, and chances followed almost as a matter of course.

Benin, however, had no interest in playing the role of passive guests. The Africans competed with intent and forced Emiliano Martínez into action more than once. Dibu made sure everyone remembered that, beyond the celebration, there was still a game to be played.

Messi went after his goal from the very beginning. He carved out a couple of clear chances, but Benin's goalkeeper was inspired all night and denied him repeatedly. Inspired opposing keepers have long been part of Messi's international story, but this time the ceremony mattered more than any single save.

Otamendi joins the celebration with the opening goal

The second half began with another name written into the script: Nicolás Otamendi. The center-back, also facing his own goodbye, scored the opening goal in the 48th minute. He attacked a corner delivered by Messi and fired in from close range to beat the Benin goalkeeper.

The partnership between Messi and Otamendi has delivered countless moments for Argentina, and on the night both said farewell it clicked one final time. El Monumental erupted as Messi's corner found the defender's run and the ball hit the back of the net. The evening was unfolding exactly as the home crowd had hoped.

Nico Paz emerges as the heir to Argentina's throne

The second goal carried both international pedigree and a glimpse of the future. Nico Paz had been on the pitch for barely a minute when he received the ball from Messi and finished with his left foot into the far corner. A composed strike, well beyond the keeper's reach, that widened the lead and reignited a recurring debate: the next number 10 is already in the dressing room.

It is no small detail that Nico Paz wears the number 18, the first shirt Messi pulled on for the senior national team in that early chapter that eventually led to the golden era. The symbolism was impossible to miss. The young midfielder made the most of his opportunity and left Buenos Aires with an unforgettable memory: on Messi's last night with Argentina, he found the net too.

Messi seals his farewell with a top-corner penalty and his legacy intact

The moment everyone had been waiting for arrived in the 70th minute. Argentina were awarded a penalty and Messi stepped up without hesitation. He placed the ball out of the goalkeeper's reach, tucked into the top corner, and completed his personal contribution on a night that already included two assists.

He could have had more. Messi kept hunting for goals throughout the match, and Benin's keeper denied him on several occasions, including an opportunity far less challenging than his usual standards. Another effort crashed against the woodwork. None of it mattered: Messi finished the night with a win, an ovation and 21 years of international football distilled into 90 final minutes.

He is leaving because he wants to, not because football has forced him out: he still has the magic, the legs and the game to offer much more.

Argentina is not simply saying goodbye to the player who changed its footballing history forever. It is saying goodbye to the footballer who, for two decades, made every match feel like the promise of something extraordinary. The Albiceleste shirt will no longer feature Leo Messi, but his imprint on the country's footballing identity will be impossible to replace.