Beunos Aires [Argentina], October 7 (ANI): Lionel Messi said goodbye to international football on a memorable note, delivering a goal and two assists during Argentina’s 3-0 win over Benin in his farewell match at home on Tuesday.The match and the build-up to it were filled with emotional moments celebrating the Argentine maestro’s extraordinary legacy, with tributes from teammates, football legends and fans, as well as an outpouring of emotion from Messi himself.From receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires to a special drone show highlighting the biggest moments of his career, Messi was celebrated in a manner befitting a football icon in a nation where the sport holds a special place. Alongside Diego Maradona, Messi remains one of the most revered footballers in Argentina, having helped the country achieve numerous records and major titles during his international career.Before the match, the official X handle of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) posted,”#SelecciónMayor Argentine captain Leo Messi received today the title “Doctor Honoris Causa” from the University of Buenos Aires. Congratulations, legend!”#SelecciónMayor El capitán argentino Leo Messi recibió hoy el título “Doctor Honoris Causa” de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. ¡Felicitaciones, leyenda! 🩵🤍🩵 https://t.co/6CursdqtNC— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) October 6, 2026On the field, the first half ended goalless before Argentina broke the deadlock shortly after the restart. Messi created the opening goal in the 48th minute, setting up Nicolas Otamendi, who made no mistake to put the hosts ahead.Messi was at the heart of Argentina’s second goal as well, teeing up Nico Paz for a superb curling effort that doubled the advantage and sent the home crowd into celebration.The 39-year-old then completed the scoring from the penalty spot, calmly converting to make it 3-0 and adding another memorable moment to an extraordinary international career.As the final whistle sounded, Messi embraced his Argentina teammates on the pitch as supporters filled the stadium with chants and applause. The emotional scenes brought a fitting close to an era in which the forward transformed Argentina’s fortunes on the international stage.Speaking after the match, with his teammates around him, Messi, visibly emotional, said, as quoted by 433, “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 am talking more than ever today because I simply don’t want this moment to end.””I feel that it is the right time [to retire]. We were close to completing the dream of being World champions again. We gave everything,” he added.He, as quoted by ESPN, spoke of the FIFA World Cup semifinal against rivals England, which he admitted left the team drained and “running on fumes” ahead of the title clash against Spain, which they lost.”The match against England really drained us. Physically and emotionally, it was exhausting, and the truth is we arrived at the final running on fumes.”Brushing aside all conspiracy theories surrounding the final, he said, “In reality, nothing strange happened, as some people say; we gave it our all. We fought hard, just as we always did, wearing these shirts, alongside all the teammates I shared the journey with. Not just the ones who were there when we finally won, but the ones from before, too; we came very close back then but sadly did not become champions. Still, make no mistake: every teammate who stood beside me always gave everything for this shirt. Always.”On a parting note, Messi also admitted that the “last World Cup took a massive toll, everything I went through (deterioration of his father’s health and his death days after the tournament).During the post-match proceedings, a special drone light show celebrating his legacy-defining Copa America and FIFA World Cup win, among other moments, lit up the skies at the Monumental Stadium.🥹🩵🤍 #FIFAWorldCup https://t.co/95Nh4T3wcATeníamos que hacerlo 🏆🐐 Messi 🔟🇦🇷 https://t.co/5Nuz2f1cA9#AD10S 🐐 𝙔 𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙤 𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙟𝙤𝙨 𝙩𝙪 𝙪́𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙖 𝙈𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙮 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤 𝙡𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤́𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙖 𝙟𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙙𝙖 https://t.co/zKNVwKT3XJ— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) October 7, 2026— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 7, 2026— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) October 7, 2026Meanwhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino also penned an emotional farewell to the Argentine forward, saying his loyal supporters around the world had witnessed his “timeless magic” in international football one last time.”Congratulations and thank you, 🇦🇷 @leomessi! The emotions were incredible as the passionate @afaseleccion fans and your loyal supporters all over the world witnessed your timeless magic in international football one last time. Good luck, legend,” he wrote in an Instagram post.Brazil football legend Neymar Jr penned an emotional note for Messi ahead of the match. Posting on Instagram, Neymar, who retired from international football after the FIFA World Cup 2026 and was Messi’s teammate at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), wrote that anyone who loved football had enjoyed his game through the years and expressed hope that the football maestro would enjoy his final bow.“Anyone who loves football has enjoyed you throughout all these years…Today is your final game wearing the shirt of your national team, your country, and I hope you enjoy every second of it and that all the tributes today make you happy,” posted Neymar.The Santos football star said that as Messi left, the world thanked him for what he had done for the sport and thanked him for “making him love football even more”.”It is not only Argentina that thanks you; the whole world thanks you for everything you’ve done for football. Thank you for making me love football even more. It was an honour to have played against you, and even more so to have made history alongside you,” he signed off.Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho Gaúcho also bid an emotional farewell to the Argentine striker ahead of his final appearance for the country.In a post on X, Ronaldinho wrote, “What a pleasure and what joy to have been part of your story from the very first day, brother! You made us smile and enjoy football so much!!! Your name is etched in the history of your country, of the whole world… Only we know the joy we felt when we fulfilled our childhood dream, representing our entire nation and becoming world champions!!!! You gave everything for your national team and for your country… I understand you perfectly and I know that everything related to family makes us rethink things… Enjoy life, brother. I wish you the very best, today and always.”River Plate, one of Argentina’s most successful and celebrated clubs, honoured Messi by naming him an Honorary Member of the club. Messi received a commemorative membership card, a plaque and a special River Plate jersey bearing his name in recognition of his illustrious football career and contribution to the sport.“On a historic day and accompanied by the President @stefanocdicarlo, the greatest player of all time received the membership card that distinguishes him as an Honorary Member of the Club, a commemorative plaque, and the Sacred Jersey with his name. Thank you for the football, Captain!” River Plate football club wrote in an X post.https://x.com/RiverPlate/status/2107599885562233026?s=20Croatia legend Luka Modric, who faced Messi on numerous occasions during the heated Real Madrid-Barcelona ‘El-Clasico’ matchups and in international fixtures, also hailed Messi’s brilliance after his retirement, while acknowledging how the Argentine had made him suffer.Speaking to Cadena SER, as quoted by Goal.com, Modric, who was rivals with Messi during their stints with Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, highlighted Messi’s brilliance and said it had been a pleasure to watch him play despite the difficulties he had caused him.”What can I say about him? It is a shame he is retiring, but it’s his decision, and we have to respect it. He has achieved something incredible with the national team; he has won the World Cup he wanted so much,” he said.The Croatian added, “He is one of the best players in the world, a one-of-a-kind player, and it has been a pleasure to watch him play, even though I’ve suffered a lot against him, both with Croatia and with Real Madrid. I wish him the best of luck,” he added.The young Argentina brigade was also visibly sad to see the iconic player go, with Enzo Fernandez, who had famously written a letter to Messi as a child back in 2016 during Messi’s first retirement after the Copa America failure, crying inconsolably, as captured on the broadcastEnzo Fernandez, the 25-year-old Manchester City star, said, as quoted by Goal.com, “We are going to miss him a lot.”Enzo was also captured on the broadcast crying inconsolably as Messi bid farewell to Argentina football.Teenager Franco Mastantuono, on loan from Real Madrid to Fiorentina, spoke on “putting a brave face” despite the sadness he felt at seeing his idol retire.”I was very excited, because he has been my idol since I was a kid. I tried to put on a brave face, even though I was sad,” Mastantuono confessed,” he said.”I would tell him to keep going, given how he is. He is a great player, a true captain,” added the 19-year-old.Franco called Messi “always his flag-bearer and inspiration”.Defender Lisandro Martinez, 28, a Manchester United star, spoke of playing with “enormous anxiety” and termed Messi’s retirement as something “that seemed like it would never arrive and today, it did”.”It is still hard to process, to leave and know that he will not be available for the next FIFA date. We try to make sure he enjoys these moments to the fullest, because they go by so fast,” he signed off.As the curtain came down on a 20-year international career, the tributes from rivals, former teammates, fans and young players who grew up idolising Messi reflected what he has come to mean to Argentina and world football. His goal and two assists against Benin, the drone show lighting up the Monumental Stadium and the emotional scenes involving his teammates provided a fitting farewell to a career defined by FIFA World Cup and Copa America triumphs.(ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)