Messi Bids Emotional Farewell to Argentina: ‘Not Coming Anymore Is Going to Be Deeply Painful’

Lionel Messi has bid an emotional farewell to Argentina’s national team, describing his international retirement as the “saddest day of my career” after helping the country defeat Benin 3-0 on Tuesday.

The Argentina captain scored a goal and registered two assists in his final appearance at the Monumental Stadium before taking time to thank supporters and teammates for their backing throughout his 21-year international career.

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

“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.”

Messi said playing his final Argentina game at the Monumental was particularly emotional because the stadium hosted the team’s first match after their 2022 World Cup triumph.

“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.

“But now I’ll be on that side (with the fans), supporting all the boys, everyone who comes in. Always united,” he said.

The veteran forward, however, insisted that he was comfortable with his decision to step away from international football despite his desire to continue playing for Argentina.

“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,” Messi said.

He recalled Argentina’s run at the tournament, including their 2-1 semi-final victory over England, saying the campaign had been physically and emotionally demanding.

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

“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.

“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.”

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