Lionel Messi will bring down the curtain on one of the greatest international careers football has ever seen when he represents Argentina for the last time against Benin on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old will 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 go on to become Argentina’s record appearances and goalscorer, having found the net 125 times in 207 games.
His relationship with the national team has not always been direct. For years, Messi was judged against Diego Maradona and criticized 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 last years of his international career completely transformed this 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 bid farewell to their captain, 101GreatGoals ranks the top 10 moments from Messi’s remarkable international career.
10. Hat-trick against Brazil – 2012
It may have only been a friendly, but scoring a hat-trick against Argentina’s arch-rivals is always a top-class moment.
Messi scored three goals in a thrilling 4-3 win over Brazil in New Jersey in 2012, completing his hat-trick with a brilliant long-range winner five minutes from time.
9. Winning the Olympic Gold – 2008
Three years after making his international debut, Messi tasted success in Argentine colors at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, playing a major role as his country successfully defended their gold medal.
Messi scored twice during the tournament before setting up Angel Di Maria to score the only goal of the final against Nigeria, starting a partnership that would eventually lead to much greater international success.
8. Leading Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final
The 2014 World Cup represented Messi’s first genuine chance to emulate Maradona on football’s biggest stage, hauling Argentina into the group stage with four goals in three games.
Argentina eventually reached their first World Cup final since 1990, but Mario Gotze’s extra-time winner for Germany denied Messi the trophy. However, the Argentinian captain was awarded the Ballon d’Or as the tournament’s outstanding player.
7. Save Argentina vs. Mexico – 2022
Argentina arrived in Qatar as favorites to win the 2022 World Cup, but their campaign was thrown into crisis by a shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia, leaving them in desperate need of 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 corner from outside the box. Argentina won 2-0, and their captain declared that “another World Cup begins” for his country.
6. The Battle of Lusail – 2022
Argentina’s quarter-final against the Netherlands produced one of the most spectacular matches of the World Cup in Qatar, and Messi was at the heart of almost everything.
His extraordinary pass in disguise set up 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 to the end.
5. Hat-trick against Ecuador to reach the World Cup – 2017
Argentina traveled to Ecuador for their final 2018 World Cup qualifier knowing their place in Russia was in serious jeopardy, and their situation was made even worse when they conceded in the first minute.
Messi took over. He scored a stunning hat-trick in Quito to secure a 3-1 victory and Argentina’s place at the World Cup, producing one of his best individual performances when his country needed him most.
4. Running rings around Gvardiol – 2022
Josko Gvardiol had established himself as one of the standout defenders at the 2022 World Cup before meeting Messi in the semi-finals.
Having scored from the penalty spot, Messi produced one of the most iconic performances of the tournament, repeatedly turning Guardiol before accelerating towards the byline and setting up Julian Alvarez to complete Argentina’s 3-0 win over Croatia and book their place in the final.
3. Finally win the Copa America – 2021
For all that 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 Maracanã 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. Make Argentina world champion – Qatar 2022
Messi’s entire 2022 World Cup deserves recognition rather than reducing his success to one performance. At 35, he scored seven goals and provided three assists as Argentina bounced back from their disastrous opening defeat to Saudi Arabia to reach the final.
He scored in every qualifying round, including twice in an extraordinary 3-3 draw against France, before converting Argentina’s opening penalty in the shootout. His performances earned him the Ballon d’Or for a record second time.
1. Raise 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 quest for football’s biggest prize finally came to an end. 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. Defeats, criticism, comparisons to Maradona and questions about his international legacy faded away as the Argentina captain finally held the trophy he had chased all his career.
