Messi Bids Argentina Goodbye: ‘Saddest Day Of My Career

Lionel Messi has described his final appearance for Argentina as the ‘saddest day of my career’ after signing off with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 victory over Benin at the Monumental Stadium on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old, who spent 21 years representing Argentina, received an emotional farewell from the home supporters after the final whistle.

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

‘Even in the worst moments we went through, and that I had, I never stopped fighting, never stopped being here.’

Messi admitted that walking away from the national team would be painful, despite knowing that the time had come.

‘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,’ he said.

The farewell was made even more emotional by the venue. The Monumental was where Argentina played their first match after winning the 2022 World Cup, a triumph that finally delivered Messi’s long-awaited World Cup crown.

‘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,’ Messi said.

‘But now I’ll be on that side, with the fans, supporting all the boys, everyone who comes in. Always united.’

Despite the emotion, Messi insisted he had no regrets about ending his international career now.

‘Even though I want to be here all my life, I feel that this is the moment,’ he said.

Messi also reflected on Argentina’s run at this year’s World Cup, where they reached the final before losing to Spain.

He said the tournament, particularly the 2-1 semi-final victory over England, had taken a significant physical and emotional toll.

‘We had the dream of fulfilling my dream and the dream of the whole country, of becoming world champions again,’ Messi said.

‘In the last World Cup we were very close. 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… We were very close.’