Lionel Messi has delivered an emotional farewell message to Argentina supporters as the football icon prepares to make his final appearance for the national team.
“The moment has arrived. I leave in peace, I gave it my all,” Messi said in a message released ahead of his farewell appearance.
The 39-year-old described the Argentina shirt as his “dream”, “pride” and “life”, while thanking supporters for the affection they have shown him throughout his international career.
Messi is scheduled to make his final appearance for Argentina against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, bringing an emotional conclusion to a national-team career that began in 2005. FIFA confirmed the farewell fixture as his final appearance for the country.
His departure marks the closing of one of the most remarkable chapters in international football.
Messi has represented Argentina in 207 matches and scored 125 goals, making him the country’s all-time leading scorer and appearance holder.
His career with the national team was defined by both painful defeats and extraordinary triumphs.
For years, Messi endured criticism after Argentina lost major finals, including the 2014 World Cup final and the Copa América finals of 2015 and 2016. He eventually transformed that narrative by leading Argentina to Copa América glory in 2021 before helping the country win the Finalissima in 2022.
The defining moment came later that year in Qatar, where Messi captained Argentina to its first World Cup triumph since 1986.
He subsequently added another Copa América title in 2024, further cementing his place in Argentine football history.
His international career has also included six World Cup appearances, Olympic gold in 2008 and the FIFA Under-20 World Cup title in 2005.
Ahead of the final game, Messi reflected on the emotional significance of wearing the national shirt for the last time.
The farewell is expected to attract a huge crowd at the Monumental, where supporters will have the opportunity to celebrate a player whose relationship with Argentina changed dramatically over two decades.
For a generation of Argentine fans, Messi’s career has been intertwined with some of the country’s most memorable football moments — from heartbreak in major finals to the historic triumph in Qatar.
His final appearance will therefore be more than another international fixture. It will represent the closing scene of a career that turned the Argentine No. 10 shirt into one of the most recognisable symbols in world football.
Messi may continue his club career, but his time as Argentina’s captain and talisman is coming to an end. And as he takes the field for the final time, the farewell will be less about the end of a football career than the celebration of everything he gave to the shirt he once described as his dream, pride and life.