Argentina 3-0 Benin: Messi's Farewell in Highlights

Lionel Messi's 208th and final Argentina appearance ended exactly as the script demanded: involved in all three goals as the Albiceleste beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental. Here is how the perfect farewell unfolded.

A fairy-tale finale

Lionel Messi's last dance for Argentina finished 3-0 against Benin at the Estadio Monumental on 6 October 2026, and the scoreboard barely told the story. The 39-year-old was directly involved in every goal — assisting Nicolás Otamendi and Nico Paz before converting a 71st-minute penalty for his 126th and final international goal, Inter Miami's match report confirmed.

The friendly, arranged as Messi's farewell after he announced his international retirement in August, was played in front of more than 85,000 spectators. What unfolded was the perfect goodbye: a goal, two assists and an entire stadium chanting his name one last time.

Here is how the night's key moments played out.

First half: frustration and near misses

The evening began with ceremony rather than goals. Ahead of kick-off, a huge replica of the special edition Messi strip worn by the players was laid on the pitch, printed with "Gracias 10". Fireworks and a live performance of the Argentine national anthem set the tone, and after just 10 minutes the 85,000 inside the Monumental rose to applaud their talisman in unison.

On the pitch, Benin refused to play the role of passive guests. Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou denied Messi after just seven minutes, and the visitors almost took a shock lead when Aiyegun Tosin volleyed wide. Messi turned a cross narrowly wide midway through the half and was off target again in the 33rd minute, while Emiliano Martínez had to deny Junior Olaitan before the break.

The first half ended goalless, with Argentina frustrated and Benin organised under former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr.

Second-half blitz: three goals in 23 minutes

Whatever was said in the Argentina dressing room at half-time worked instantly. Three minutes after the restart, Messi's corner caused panic in the Benin box, and Nicolás Otamendi reacted with a scissor-kick volley to break the deadlock — in what was the defender's last contribution for Argentina.

The second goal was pure Messi magic in the 61st minute. Drawing defenders to the right, he slipped a pass to the young Como midfielder Nico Paz, who curled a beauty around the goalkeeper into the far top corner to make it 2-0.

And the Argentina great was sure to be involved in all three goals on his special night. Ten minutes later, Tamimou Ouorou's clumsy challenge on Agustín Giay gave the hosts a penalty, and Messi blasted the spot-kick into the roof of the net with 20 minutes remaining. Messi 126. Argentina 3.

Benin played their part

Credit belongs to the visitors. Benin, ranked 93rd in the world, arrived in Buenos Aires with nothing to lose and nearly spoiled the party in the first half. Their coach was former Nigeria boss Gernot Rohr, who had faced Messi before at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when Nigeria lost 2-1 to Argentina in the group stage.

Rohr's side made Argentina work for every opening. Tosin's volley flashed wide with the game goalless, and Junior Olaitan forced a sharp first-half stop from Emiliano Martínez. Even at 3-0 down, Benin kept pressing, with Dandjinou in goal and the defence refusing to collapse.

Benin's keeper had promised beforehand, in comments to Marca, that he would try to save anything Messi sent his way. He denied the captain repeatedly in the first half and made several late stops. On a night built for one man, Benin left the Monumental with their dignity fully intact.

Dandjinou's defiance

For all the fairy-tale framing, the scoreline could have been heavier had Benin's goalkeeper not been in inspired form. Marcel Dandjinou, who had told Marca before the match that he would try to save anything Messi sent his way, kept out an Enzo Fernández header at 1-0 and denied Leonel Flores late on.

Dandjinou had also frustrated Messi several times in the first half, including the early seven-minute save and a free-kick effort. It was a performance that won him respect even on a night that belonged entirely to the opposition captain.

Messi involved in everything

The night's most telling statistic was the simplest: Messi had a hand in all three goals. He created the opener with a corner, manufactured the second with a slide-rule pass, and finished the job from twelve yards.

He could easily have scored earlier. Messi had a couple of close-range efforts in the first half, guided a cross narrowly wide and saw a long-range free-kick in the 25th minute cause trouble. The penalty in the 71st minute was his deserved reward — and it came with his very trademark left foot, blasted into the top corner.

He came into the night with 125 goals and left it with 126, as Argentina's all-time top scorer, top assist provider and most-capped player with 208 appearances.

The numbers that will stand

Messi's final numbers are staggering: 208 caps, 126 goals and 67 assists for Argentina, across a 21-year international career. He is the first Argentine player to feature in six different World Cup editions and the only player to have started three World Cup finals.

Under his captaincy, Argentina ended a 28-year wait for silverware with back-to-back Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, and won their first World Cup in 38 years in 2022. The Reuters match report noted the match had been announced by FIFA as Messi's farewell appearance.

An emotional goodbye

At full-time, Messi bid the crowd an emotional goodbye. "It's hard to talk," he said, per Reuters. "There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head. It was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years."

He took a solitary victory lap to cherish the fans' final chants of "Messi, Messi", then addressed the Monumental in a speech that ended with the line that will define the night: "Now, inevitably, I face the saddest day of my career."

The roar was deafening when Messi was substituted. The Monumental bowed to its king as he waved, cried and hugged his team-mates. The farewell was complete — and so, after 21 years, was the greatest international career Argentina has ever seen.

Questions people ask

All of our farewell coverage is on Argentina vs Benin.