Legendary Argentine forward Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from the national team following a farewell friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires, which ended in a resounding win for the hosts, according to infohub.kz.
Immediately after the final whistle, the celebrated footballer shared his emotions and explained his decision. He said he would have liked to keep representing his country, but age and circumstances dictated otherwise.
"I would happily stay here, with Argentina, forever, until the end of my life… but the time has come to retire. After the last World Cup, the time came to say goodbye. Thank you, because representing Argentina is the best thing that has ever happened to me," Messi said after the match.
Messi made his debut for Argentina on August 17, 2005. Over that span he earned 208 caps, scored 126 goals and provided 70 assists — all national team records.
The highlight of his international career was winning the World Cup in 2022. Messi also won the Copa América twice with Argentina (in 2021 and 2024) and finished as runner-up at the World Cup twice (in 2014 and 2026).