{"id":47485,"date":"2026-10-07T12:21:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=47485"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:22:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:22:42","slug":"messi-signs-off-in-tears-after-one-last-argentina-master-class","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/messi-signs-off-in-tears-after-one-last-argentina-master-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Messi signs off in tears after one last Argentina master class"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Lionel Messi delivered one last master class in blue and white this Wednesday morning (South African Standard Time) as Argentina\u2019s captain brought the curtain down on his extraordinary 21-year international career by scoring one goal and setting up two others in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin.<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ms-outlook-mobile-signature\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>The 39-year-old\u2019s final bow in front of more than 85,000 fans at a packed Monumental stadium was less about football and more a national celebration of Messi\u2019s service to the national team.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Landmarks across the capital glowed with the team\u2019s sky blue and white colours, while fireworks lit up the skies above the heaving stadium as fans poured their hearts into a rendition of Argentina\u2019s national anthem.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to talk, \u201d said Messi, whose family watched proudly from the stands alongside some of Argentina\u2019s World Cup winners of 1978, 1986 and 2022.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThere are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head. The first thing I think about is my old man,\u201d he added, referring to the recent death of his father.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>\u201cIt was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years. Not coming anymore is going to hurt a lot. I swear, I\u2019d love to keep coming my whole life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Hours earlier, a massive number 10 shirt emblazoned with \u201cGracias\u201d was unfurled at the National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Messi\u2019s hometown.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>As the team bus travelled from the training centre bearing his name, Messi wiped away tears as thousands lined the route.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>When the teams took the pitch, Benin\u2019s captain looked lost for words as he handed Messi a gift and letter during the pre-match handshake.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>After a goalless first half, Messi supplied the assist for Nicolas Otamendi to tap home Argentina\u2019s opener.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Otamendi shared 17 years with Messi in the national team, including four World Cups and was also ending his international career.<\/div>\n<div>Messi then set up Nico Paz, one of the players seen as a potential successor for Argentina\u2019s number 10 shirt, to score the second goal.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>In a fairy-tale ending, Messi converted a penalty for 3-0, his 126th international goal, prompting another round of \u201cMessi, Messi\u201d chants from the crowd.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>At the final whistle, teammates, opponents and the referee gathered around Messi for embraces before a drone show lit up the sky.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Argentine singer Soledad Pastorutti, known as \u201cLa Sole\u201d, then sang her signature \u201cBrindis\u201d as part of a tribute to Messi and his journey with the national team.<\/div>\n<div>Messi leaves as the country\u2019s most-capped player (208) and record scorer, having transformed years of frustration on the international stage into a story of World Cup and Copa Am\u00e9rica triumphs.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\u2014Reuters\u2014<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44306,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[20],"class_list":["post-47485","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-sport","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"At the final whistle, teammates, opponents and the referee gathered around Messi for embraces before a drone show lit up the sky.","published_date":"","news_description":"At the final whistle, teammates, opponents and the referee gathered around Messi for embraces before a drone show lit up the sky.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47489,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47485\/revisions\/47489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=47485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}