Lionel Messi will bring the curtain down on one of the greatest international careers football has ever seen when he represents Argentina for the final time against Benin on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old is set to make his 208th and final appearance for his country at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, more than 21 years after his senior debut against Hungary in August 2005.
Messi will bow out as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and goalscorer, having found the net 125 times in 207 games.
His relationship with the national team has not always been straightforward. For years, Messi was judged against Diego Maradona and criticised for failing to reproduce his Barcelona brilliance in an Argentina shirt, with defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and three Copa America finals adding to the pressure.
But the final years of his international career completely transformed that story. Copa America glory finally arrived in 2021 before Messi led Argentina to the World Cup in Qatar 18 months later, while another Copa America triumph followed in 2024.
As Argentina prepare to say goodbye to their captain, 101GreatGoals ranks the 10 greatest moments of Messi’s remarkable international career.
10. Hat-trick against Brazil – 2012
It may only have been a friendly, but scoring a hat-trick against Argentina’s greatest rivals is always a top-tier moment.
Messi scored three times in a thrilling 4-3 win over Brazil in New Jersey in 2012, completing his treble with a brilliant long-range winner five minutes from time.
9. Winning Olympic gold – 2008
Three years after making his senior international debut, Messi tasted success in Argentina colours at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, playing an important role as his country successfully defended their gold medal.
Messi scored twice during the tournament before setting Angel Di Maria away to score the only goal of the final against Nigeria, beginning a partnership that would eventually deliver far greater international success.
8. Leading Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final
The 2014 World Cup represented Messi’s first genuine opportunity to emulate Maradona on football’s biggest stage, and he dragged Argentina through the group phase with four goals in three matches.
Argentina eventually reached their first World Cup final since 1990, but Mario Gotze’s extra-time winner for Germany denied Messi the trophy. The Argentina captain was nevertheless awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s outstanding player.
7. Saving Argentina against Mexico – 2022
Argentina arrived in Qatar among the favourites to win the 2022 World Cup, but their campaign was thrown into crisis by a shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia, leaving them desperately needing a result against Mexico.
With the game still goalless after an hour, Messi controlled Di Maria’s pass before drilling a low effort into the bottom corner from outside the area. Argentina won 2-0, and their captain declared that “another World Cup starts” for his country.
6. The Battle of Lusail – 2022
Argentina’s quarter-final against the Netherlands produced one of the most dramatic matches of the Qatar World Cup, and Messi was at the heart of virtually everything.
His extraordinary disguised pass created Nahuel Molina’s opener before Messi scored from the penalty spot and converted again in the shootout.
Argentina survived a Dutch comeback to progress, while Messi’s fiery celebrations and post-match exchanges showed another side to a captain desperate to take his country all the way.
5. Hat-trick against Ecuador to reach the World Cup – 2017
Argentina travelled to Ecuador for their final 2018 World Cup qualifier knowing their place in Russia was in serious danger, and their situation became even worse when they conceded inside the opening minute.
Messi took over. He scored a stunning hat-trick in Quito to secure a 3-1 win and Argentina’s place at the World Cup, producing one of his greatest individual performances when his country needed him most.
4. Running rings around Gvardiol – 2022
Josko Gvardiol had established himself as one of the outstanding defenders of the 2022 World Cup before encountering Messi in the semi-final.
Having already scored from the penalty spot, Messi produced one of the tournament’s most iconic pieces of skill, repeatedly turning Gvardiol before accelerating towards the byline and setting up Julian Alvarez to complete Argentina’s 3-0 win over Croatia, and booking their place in the final.
3. Finally winning the Copa America – 2021
For all Messi had achieved in football, a senior international trophy had remained painfully out of reach after defeats in the 2007, 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals, as well as the 2014 World Cup final.
That wait finally ended at the Maracana in 2021, where Di Maria’s goal gave Argentina a 1-0 win over Brazil. After years of disappointment and even briefly retiring from international football, Messi was finally able to lift a major trophy for his country.
2. Turning Argentina into world champions – Qatar 2022
Messi’s entire 2022 World Cup deserves recognition rather than reducing his achievement to one performance. At 35, he scored seven goals and provided three assists as Argentina recovered from their disastrous opening defeat to Saudi Arabia to reach the final.
He scored in every knockout round, including twice in an extraordinary 3-3 final against France, before converting Argentina’s opening penalty in the shootout. His performances earned him the Golden Ball for a record second time.
1. Lifting the World Cup – 2022
There could only be one moment at the top of the list.
When Gonzalo Montiel converted the penalty that made Argentina world champions, Messi’s long and often painful pursuit of football’s greatest prize was finally over. Moments later, he lifted the World Cup – 36 years after Maradona had done the same in Mexico.
It was the image that completed Messi’s career. The defeats, criticism, comparisons with Maradona and questions over his international legacy disappeared as Argentina’s captain finally held the trophy he had spent his entire career chasing.
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