From World Cup glory to final goodbye: Full text of Messi’s farewell speech

Argentina captain Lionel Messi brought his international career to an emotional close on Tuesday night as the world champions defeated Benin Republic 3-0 in a friendly in Buenos Aires.

According to Vanguard, Messi starred in his final appearance, scoring one goal and providing two assists. The 39-year-old finished his international career as the country’s most-capped player, with 208 appearances and 126 goals.

After the final whistle, Messi addressed more than 85,000 supporters in an emotional farewell speech.

“I have nothing left to do but thank this shirt. For 20 years, even through the worst moments, I never stopped fighting, pushing forward, giving everything I had and wanting to be here.

“Not coming here anymore and no longer being with the Argentina National Team is going to hurt a lot. If it were up to me, I would love to be here for my entire life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing there is.

“I think I’m talking more than ever today because I simply don’t want this moment to end.

“But I think the time has come for me to retire. The last World Cup took a lot out of us after everything we went through. We arrived in the final with just enough left in us, but we fought until the very end, like we always did.

“In 2022, we had the dream of fulfilling not only my dream, but the dream of an entire country: becoming world champions again. And we did it.

“We won the World Cup, the Copa América, the Finalissima… I’m incredibly grateful for everything I experienced with this National Team.

“And especially to this group: THANK YOU. They helped me fulfill the dream I had since I was a child. They helped me become a world champion.

“I also want to thank the people. I was lucky enough to play in so many cities across Argentina, and everywhere I went, I received an incredible amount of love.

“And that support has to continue. Difficult moments will come, and those are the moments when you have to support the team more than ever. You need strong, united groups because there will always be people who want to see the National Team fail, and we can’t give them that satisfaction.

“There are so many emotions going through me right now. I’m surely forgetting many things I would like to say because this is a very difficult moment for me. The first person who comes to my mind is my dad.

“I’m going to miss playing here so much. I love you all, and I’m proud to be Argentine.

“I leave grateful, proud and at peace. Thank you for everything.”

Messi’s farewell marks the end of a 21-year international career that produced the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 World Cup.

His final night was marked by tributes from teammates and supporters, cementing his place among the country’s celebrated sporting figures after years of success on international stage.