Lionel Messi Calls His Argentina Retirement the Saddest Day of His Career

Lionel Messi, the forward for Argentina, described his retirement from international football as the “saddest day of my career” after his last game ended in a 3-0 victory over Benin. The match took place at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 6, 2026.

After the game, Messi expressed his gratitude to fans and teammates, reflecting on his 21-year journey with the national team. He said, “It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years. Even in the worst moments, I never stopped fighting. Not coming back is going to be deeply painful.”

Returning to the Monumental Stadium, where Argentina celebrated their first game after winning the 2022 World Cup, was a bittersweet experience for Messi. He shared, “Now I’m here on the saddest day of my career, which is the day I have to say goodbye to the national team.” He promised to support the team as a fan in the future.

Despite his sadness, Messi had no regrets about retiring, especially after the emotional toll of the recent World Cup, where Argentina reached the final but lost to Spain. He acknowledged that the journey had been challenging, particularly the semi-final match against England, which was physically and emotionally draining.

Messi concluded, “Even though I want to be here all my life, I feel that this is the moment. We were very close to fulfilling our dream of becoming world champions again.”