Messi bows out with goal, two assists

Abimbola Joseph
Lionel Messi ended his Argentina international career in style, scoring once and providing two assists as the world champions defeated Benin 3–0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night.
The October 6 friendly marked the end of Messi’s 21-year international career, with more than 85,000 spectators watching the Argentine captain make his final appearance for the national team.
Messi set up Nicolás Otamendi for Argentina’s opening goal from a corner in the 48th minute before assisting Nico Paz for the second in the 61st minute. He then converted a penalty in the 71st minute to complete the victory.
The performance meant Messi was directly involved in all three of Argentina’s goals.
“It’s hard to talk,” Messi said after the match, reflecting on an emotional farewell.
“There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head,” he added.
Reflecting on his Argentina career, Messi said it had been “a huge source of pride” to wear the national-team shirt for more than 20 years.
“Playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you,” he said.
Messi, 39, finished his Argentina career as the country’s most-capped player, with 208 appearances, and its leading goalscorer, with 126 goals.
The farewell fixture also brought former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr back into the spotlight, with the German leading Benin against the Argentine star.
Rohr had previously faced Messi as Nigeria’s coach at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, when Argentina defeated the Super Eagles 2–1 in the group stage.
Before Tuesday’s match, Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou insisted his side would not simply be in Argentina to celebrate Messi.
“This is football: eleven against eleven,” Dandjinou told Spanish newspaper Marca.
“We are not here to do tourism in Argentina; we are here to play and compete,” he said.
Dandjinou also dismissed suggestions that Benin would allow Messi to score as part of the farewell.
“I am a goalkeeper, and my role is to stop shots,” he said.
Benin defender Mohamed Tijani also played down the focus on Messi before the game, telling C5N that his team would simply enjoy the occasion.
Rohr described facing Messi in his final Argentina appearance as a “big honour”.
The Argentine Football Association had earlier announced the match as a farewell for Messi, with its president, Claudio Tapia, describing him as the national team’s “icon” and captain.
With the victory over Benin, Messi brought one of football’s most remarkable international careers to a close with 208 appearances and 126 goals for Argentina.