📹 Vintage Messi shines in emotional Argentina farewell

At a packed Monumental de Núñez in Buenos Aires, Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini bid farewell to Argentina's national team with a 3–0 win over Benin in a friendly that wrapped up the October international window on Tuesday (6).

The result certainly isn't what matters most.

Even if it does help boost Messi's stats for the Albiceleste even further.

After all, the star in the No. 10 shirt provided the assists for Otamendi and Nico Paz's goals, as well as scoring one himself.

Those goals, incidentally, all came in the second half and, in a way, reflected Messi's more than 20 years in an Argentina shirt.

Otamendi's goal, for example—he was also bidding farewell to the Albiceleste—came from a Messi corner that the defender turned into the net. A classic, right?

And the young Argentine gem's goal came in the genius's signature style: a well-placed left-footed shot from the edge of the box that gave the goalkeeper no chance. The classic "passing of the torch."

How many times have we seen Messi score goals like that for Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and, of course, the three-time world champions?

Finally, from the penalty spot, the genius in the No. 10 shirt sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and fired into the top corner, bringing his beautiful story in an Argentina shirt to a close with absolute class.

With his final touch of the ball for Argentina, Messi took a free kick from the edge of the box, as he had so many times in his career, but this time it went over the crossbar.

Messi thus bids farewell to Argentina's national team with 126 goals (26 of them penalties) and 70 assists in 208 official appearances.

With the Albiceleste, the genius in the No. 10 shirt won the 2022 World Cup, the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles, and the 2022 Finalissima.

Across his professional career, Lionel Messi now has 932 goals and, at 39, is still going strong in pursuit of 1,000 goals!

🥹 Emotions running high long before kickoff

Buenos Aires, Rosario and all of Argentina came to a standstill to honor Lionel Messi.

The genius in the No. 10 shirt tried his hardest to hold back his tears during Argentina's national anthem.

Coach Lionel Scaloni, known as a "real softie," was overcome with emotion during the Argentine anthem.

Benin's national team, which had the honor of taking part in the farewell celebrations, presented Messi with a small statue and a letter.

Ten minutes into the match, the friendly was paused for more celebrations in honor of Lionel Messi.