Argentina captain Lionel Messi described the national-team shirt as his dream, pride and life as he prepared to make his final international appearance against Benin.
The 39-year-old delivered the farewell message in a tribute video released by Adidas Football ahead of the match.
“The time has come. I’m leaving in peace. I gave it my all. This shirt was my dream, my pride and my life. Thank you for loving me so much. I will miss you all,” Messi said.
Argentina will face Benin in a friendly organised to honour Messi’s contribution to the national team. The Argentine Football Association has named the event “The Night That No One Wants to End.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Buenos Aires, which is 1 a.m. Wednesday in Rwanda. A capacity crowd is expected at the Estadio Monumental.
Messi holds Argentina’s records for both appearances and goals. He will enter the match with 207 caps and 125 goals, with the Benin encounter set to become his 208th and final appearance for his country.
He announced his retirement from international football after Argentina’s 1-0 defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. In his retirement message, Messi said the decision was painful but that he believed the time had come to end his national-team career.
His journey with Argentina began against Hungary in 2005, when he was sent off just 43 seconds after coming on as a substitute. He recovered from that difficult debut to become the country’s captain, leading scorer and most-capped player.
International success initially proved elusive. Messi was part of the Argentina teams that lost the 2007, 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals, as well as the 2014 World Cup final.
He briefly retired from international football after the 2016 Copa América defeat but later reversed his decision.
His long wait for a senior international trophy ended in 2021 when he captained Argentina to the Copa América title. The victory ended the country’s 28-year wait for a major trophy.
Argentina went on to win the 2022 Finalissima, the World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Copa América before reaching another World Cup final in 2026.
Messi represented Argentina at six World Cups, played in three finals and scored 21 goals in the competition. His international honours also include the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and an Olympic gold medal won in Beijing in 2008.
His departure will close a 21-year senior international career but will not mark the end of his playing days. Messi will return to Inter Miami, where he recently helped the club win the Campeones Cup.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10