Messi says leaving Argentina team is his saddest moment

Argentina's forward Lionel Messi cried during a tribute after his last game for the national team. This happened after Argentina beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 6, 2026.

Messi talked about his retirement from international football, calling it the "saddest day of my career." He scored one goal and assisted two others in the match. After the game, he thanked fans and his teammates while reflecting on his 21 years with the national team.

"It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years," Messi said to the crowd.

He added, "Even in the worst moments we went through and that I had, I never stopped fighting, never stopped being here. Not coming anymore is going to be deeply painful. I swear I’d like to play for the rest of my life because playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you."

Returning to the Monumental for his last game brought mixed feelings. "Now I’m here on the saddest day of my career, which is the day I have to say goodbye to the national team, goodbye to all of you."

He continued, "But now I’ll be on that side (with the fans), supporting all the boys, everyone who comes in. Always united."

Despite how he felt, Messi said he had no regrets about retiring now. He mentioned the tough journey Argentina had in this year’s World Cup. The team made it to the final but lost to Spain.

Messi said the emotional ups and downs of that tournament took a toll on him. "Even though I want to be here all my life, I feel that this is the moment. The last World Cup was too much, everything I had to live through."

He added, "We had the dream of fulfilling my dream and the dream of the whole country, of becoming world champions again."

Messi reflected on how close they came in the last World Cup. "In the last World Cup, we were very close, and the reality is that nothing strange happened, as people say. The match against England took a huge toll on us physically, and emotionally it was very big."

He concluded, "We arrived with just enough, we fought like we always did with this jersey, with all the teammates I got to be with and share things with, not only them but also those who were around in the time when we managed to win. We were very close."