One Last Dance: Messi Prepares to Say Goodbye to Argentina After a 21-Year Journey

KATHMANDU, September 16, 2026

One Last Time in Blue and White

Lionel Messi, Argentina’s longtime captain and record-breaking forward, is set to make his final appearance for the national team against Benin on October 6 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, after the Argentine Football Association invited him back for a farewell following his international retirement in August. AFA president Claudio Tapia said the decision was made with coach Lionel Scaloni because Argentina wanted its captain to receive a proper goodbye at home, and Tapia said Messi accepted the invitation.

Messi has been included in Scaloni’s 28-man squad for Argentina’s upcoming home friendlies. Argentina will face Bolivia in Córdoba on September 30 and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3 before the farewell against Benin three days later.

A Farewell Surrounded by World Champions

Argentina is planning more than an ordinary friendly for Messi’s final night. Tapia said the members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families have been invited to attend the occasion and accompany their former captain during his goodbye.

The setting will also carry special meaning. The Monumental is one of Argentina’s most famous football grounds, giving Messi the opportunity to finish his international journey in Buenos Aires in front of the supporters who followed his national-team career through its most difficult and glorious chapters.

A Journey That Started More Than Two Decades Ago

Messi’s relationship with the Argentina shirt began long before he became its senior captain. He helped Argentina win the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 and later won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008, early signs of what he could eventually achieve for his country.

His senior international career began in 2005. What followed was not an immediate story of glory. Messi became one of football’s biggest stars at club level while repeatedly experiencing disappointment with Argentina, making his eventual success with the national team even more significant.

Years When the Trophy Would Not Come

Argentina and Messi came painfully close several times.

He was part of the team beaten in the 2007 Copa América final and then captained Argentina to the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, where Germany defeated them. Argentina subsequently lost the 2015 Copa América final to Chile before suffering another defeat against the same opponent in the 2016 Copa América Centenario final.

By 2016, Messi had experienced defeat in four major senior finals with Argentina.

The disappointment became overwhelming.

The Goodbye That Lasted 66 Days

Following the 2016 Copa América final defeat, Messi announced that his international career was over.

He had missed his penalty in the shootout against Chile, and after another major final ended without a trophy, he publicly said his time with Argentina had come to an end.

But that goodbye did not last.

Just 66 days later, Messi returned to the national team. In his first game back, he scored Argentina’s only goal in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.

That decision to return would eventually change the story of his Argentina career.

The Trophy That Changed Everything

After years of waiting, Messi finally lifted his first major senior international trophy at the 2021 Copa América.

Argentina defeated Brazil at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, ending Messi’s long wait for a major senior title with his country.

It became the beginning of an extraordinary period.

Argentina followed that success by winning the 2022 Finalissima, defeating European champions Italy at Wembley.

But the biggest dream was still ahead.

The Night Messi Became a World Champion

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Messi finally reached the summit with Argentina.

After Argentina’s shocking opening defeat against Saudi Arabia, the team recovered and eventually reached the final against France. Following one of the most dramatic World Cup finals ever played, Argentina won on penalties and Messi finally lifted the trophy that had followed him throughout his career.

It was Argentina’s first World Cup title since 1986.

For Messi, it transformed the story of his international career. The player who had repeatedly walked away from finals in disappointment was now lifting football’s biggest trophy as Argentina’s captain.

Another Copa América Followed

Messi’s international success did not end in Qatar.

Argentina went on to win the 2024 Copa América in the United States, adding another continental title to a period that had already delivered the Copa América, Finalissima and World Cup.

Within a few years, the international trophies that had once seemed impossible for Messi arrived one after another.

One Final World Cup

At 39, Messi returned for one last World Cup campaign in 2026.

Argentina again reached the final, where it faced Spain on July 19. This time, there would be no repeat of the celebrations in Qatar, as Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to end the defending champion’s run.

Messi nevertheless produced another remarkable tournament. FIFA says he scored eight goals at the 2026 World Cup and won the Silver Boot.

When the final ended, an emotional Messi stood in front of Argentina’s supporters knowing it could have been the last competitive international match of his career.

Messi Says His Final Goodbye

On August 31, Messi officially announced his retirement from international football.

In a deeply personal message published by the AFA, Messi said the decision hurt but that he believed the time had arrived to leave the national team. He reflected on giving everything to the Argentina shirt, including during the difficult years before the trophies finally came.

He also pointed toward the next generation, saying talented younger players deserved their opportunity.

After more than two decades, the competitive chapter was over.

But Argentina wanted one more night.

From Criticism and Heartbreak to National Glory

That is why the October 6 farewell means more than another appearance on Messi’s international record.

His Argentina journey was never a straight road toward success.

There were lost finals, questions about whether he could ever achieve with Argentina what he had accomplished at club level, tears after major defeats and even a retirement that appeared to end his international career a decade earlier.

But Messi returned.

He kept playing, and eventually the defeats were followed by the 2021 Copa América, 2022 Finalissima, 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América.

His story with Argentina became not only about winning, but also about continuing after losing.

A Generation Grew Up Watching Messi

Messi’s international career also stretched across generations.

Supporters who first watched him as a teenager in 2005 eventually watched him become captain, suffer repeated heartbreak, lift the World Cup and continue representing Argentina until the age of 39.

For younger fans, Messi has been present for virtually their entire experience of watching Argentina.

For older supporters, his career connected different periods of the national team and ultimately delivered the World Cup celebration Argentina had waited 36 years to experience.

The Final Chapter at the Monumental

Messi originally appeared to have played his final Argentina match against Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.

Now, he will have the opportunity for a different ending.

Instead of leaving after the pain of a World Cup final defeat, Argentina is preparing to bring its captain home for a final celebration.

FIFA says the October 6 friendly against Benin will be Messi’s final appearance for Argentina.

There will be no World Cup trophy at stake and no continental title to chase.

This time, the night itself will be the occasion.

One Last Dance

For more than two decades, Messi wore Argentina’s shirt through almost every emotion football can produce.

He lost finals. He left. He returned. He kept trying.

Then he became South American champion.

Then world champion.

And finally, after one more World Cup run at 39, he decided it was time to stop.

On October 6, the story is expected to return to Argentina for one final scene.

When Lionel Messi walks onto the Monumental pitch against Benin, Argentina will not simply be watching its captain play another match.

It will be saying goodbye to a 21-year journey that went from heartbreak to the greatest celebration of all.