Argentina 3-0 Benin: Messi’s Final International Match, Recapped
Lionel Messi played the 208th and last match of his Argentina career on Tuesday 6 October 2026, and the Estadio Monumental turned a friendly against Benin into a national send-off. Argentina won 3-0, and Messi was involved in all three goals: he set up Nicolás Otamendi’s opener, set up Nico Paz for the second and then converted a 71st-minute penalty — his 126th goal for his country.
The match was Messi’s first Argentina appearance since he announced his international retirement, and the Argentine Football Association built the day around him: a farewell friendly at the ground where he has played most of his home internationals, with the 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain less than three months earlier as the backdrop.
Match facts
| Competition | International friendly |
| Date | Tuesday 6 October 2026 |
| Venue | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires |
| Kick-off | 20:00 in Buenos Aires (ART, UTC−3) · 23:00 UTC · 01:00 Central European summer time on 7 October |
| Half-time | 0-0 |
| Full time | Argentina 3-0 Benin |
| Goals | Otamendi 48′, Paz 61′, Messi 71′ (penalty) |
| Messi | Two assists and one goal — involved in all three |
| Crowd | More than 85,000 at a sold-out Monumental |
How the three goals happened
The first half finished goalless, with Messi going closest from a free kick that Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou turned away. Everything Argentina produced after the interval came through their captain.
48′ — Otamendi. Messi took a corner from the left and picked out Nicolás Otamendi, who finished first time to put Argentina ahead. It was Otamendi’s final Argentina appearance too: the defender spent 17 years alongside Messi in the squad and played in four World Cups with him.
61′ — Paz. From the right-hand side, Messi found Nico Paz just outside the box, and the substitute bent a left-footed finish inside the far post for 2-0. Paz is one of the players Argentina have identified as a long-term successor to the No. 10 shirt.
71′ — Messi. Agustín Giay was fouled in the penalty area and Messi took the kick himself, scoring his 126th international goal to complete the scoring.
The 10th-minute tribute
Ten minutes in, the match stopped. The crowd rose for an ovation, fireworks went up behind one goal, and Benin’s players joined the tribute by paying their respects to Messi directly. When the game restarted, Argentina had not yet scored — the night’s football still lay ahead of him.
Rosario, Buenos Aires and the scale of the send-off
In Messi’s home city, Rosario, a replica Argentina shirt around 30 metres long was unfurled at the National Flag Memorial with the word “Gracias” and his No. 10 on the back, and a helicopter carried another giant shirt above the city. In Buenos Aires, landmarks were lit in Argentina’s sky blue and white, and hundreds of drones ended the night by spelling out “Gracias Leo” above the stadium.
Argentina’s World Cup-winning squads of 1978, 1986 and 2022 were represented in the stands, alongside Messi’s family. Earlier in the day the University of Buenos Aires presented him with an honorary doctorate, the highest distinction the university awards, in recognition of his career and his position in Argentine public life.
The shirt Messi wore
The final shirt was a special edition rather than the standard Argentina home kit: a sky-blue body with a single wide white central band, a lantern-striped “May Sun” pattern across the front, a black collar with gold trim, and — for the game itself — gold lettering and a gold 10 on the back. On the chest, the maker’s mark of a standard shirt was replaced by Messi’s personal M emblem, also in gold. It is the shirt he wore for the last goal and the last two assists of his Argentina career.
The same release includes a plain version of the farewell shirt, with no name and no number on the back, for anyone who wants the shirt without a player on it.
After the final whistle
Team-mates, opponents and the referee gathered around Messi at full time. Enzo Fernández and Lionel Scaloni were both in tears on the touchline, and Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their eldest son Thiago joined him on the pitch. Argentine singer Soledad Pastorutti closed the tribute with “Brindis” as the ceremony ran on.
By the numbers
| Appearances | 208 — Argentina’s record |
| Goals | 126 — Argentina’s record |
| Assists | 68 — Argentina’s record |
| Matches as No. 10 | 172, more than any other Argentina player (Diego Maradona wore the shirt 85 times) |
| World Cups | Six, from 2006 to 2026: 34 matches and 21 goals, second on the all-time World Cup scoring list behind Kylian Mbappé’s 22 |
| 2026 World Cup | Eight goals and four assists, including a hat-trick against Algeria; Argentina finished as runners-up, losing the final 1-0 to Spain |
| Titles with Argentina | Copa América 2021 and 2024, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 World Cup |
| Last match | 6 October 2026, Argentina 3-0 Benin: one goal, two assists |
What comes next for Argentina
Otamendi retired from international football on the same night as Messi, and the two of them were the last remaining members of the 2014 World Cup squad. Argentina’s window ended with three wins and no goals conceded: 4-0 against Bolivia, 7-0 against Burkina Faso and 3-0 against Benin.
| Question | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Who wears No. 10? | Reports in Argentina say Lionel Scaloni has chosen Nico Paz, the Como midfielder, to take the shirt; Paz has worn No. 18 for his senior caps so far. |
| Who is the coach? | Scaloni’s current deal runs to the end of 2026, with an extension through the next cycle reported to be close. |
| When is the next match? | The next international window is in November 2026. |
| When is the next tournament? | The 2028 Copa América, with Argentina going in as defending champions. |
Messi continues to play at club level. His Argentina career, though, ends at 208 caps, and with the record for goals, assists and appearances in the shirt.
The rest of the 2026 Messi special-edition range
The release that produced the farewell shirt also covers the training and travel side of the squad’s kit: a night-navy track jacket and matching track pants, white socks, and the white-and-mint boots from the same campaign.
Written by Football Jersey Hub. Match details from the AFA’s post-match information and international agency reports; kick-off time converted from Argentina time (UTC−3). Updated 7 October 2026.