After more than two decades of unforgettable moments, Lionel Messi is preparing to say goodbye to Argentina.

Messi will make his final appearance for the national team on October 6, 2026, when Argentina face Benin in an international friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The match is expected to become a celebration of one of the greatest careers in international football.

The 39-year-old confirmed his retirement from international football in August, bringing an end to a 21-year Argentina career. He leaves the national team as its all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances.

For Argentina, however, this is about far more than statistics.

It is the final chapter of a relationship that once appeared deeply complicated but ultimately developed into one of the most celebrated partnerships in football history.

Messi's early years with Argentina were not always easy.

Despite becoming a global superstar with Barcelona, he faced intense criticism from sections of the Argentine public who believed he had not reproduced his club success with the national team. Comparisons with Diego Maradona added another layer of pressure.

The breakthrough finally arrived at the 2021 Copa America, when Messi won his first major senior international trophy with Argentina.

That success changed the atmosphere around him.

A year later came the defining achievement. Messi captained Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title in Qatar, scoring seven goals and winning the tournament's Golden Ball as the best player.

Argentina then won another Copa America in 2024, completing a remarkable period of international success for Messi and his team.

Even after reaching another World Cup final in 2026, Messi's Argentina story had already reached legendary status.

Messi's departure also creates a symbolic question for the next generation: who will wear Argentina's No. 10 shirt?

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has indicated that the shirt will not immediately be handed to another player. The decision will be considered after Messi's farewell match.

That hesitation reflects the extraordinary status of the number.

For years, the Argentina No. 10 has represented Maradona's legacy. Messi then transformed it into a symbol of his own era.

Whether another player eventually inherits it, the shirt will remain permanently associated with the two most influential Argentine footballers of the modern era.

Messi's farewell also arrives against the backdrop of renewed attention on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.

For nearly two decades, Messi and Ronaldo dominated football's biggest individual debates, collecting Ballon d'Or awards, breaking scoring records and defining an era of elite competition.

Sky Sports noted the fitting timing of Messi's Argentina farewell alongside the current tensions surrounding Ronaldo and Portugal. Their careers have repeatedly intersected, even though their international journeys have followed very different paths.

Now, football is moving toward a future without either superstar at the centre of every international tournament.

Messi's international legacy is ultimately about more than medals and records.

He endured years of disappointment with Argentina before eventually becoming the player who delivered the country's biggest prize. His journey from a young talent who moved to Spain to one of Argentina's greatest sporting icons is one of football's most remarkable stories.

The farewell against Benin therefore represents both an ending and a transition.

Argentina already has a new generation emerging, with players such as Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Cristian Romero expected to carry the team forward.

But replacing Messi is not simply a matter of finding another No. 10.

It means replacing a player who became Argentina's leading goalscorer, record appearance-maker, World Cup-winning captain and one of the defining footballers of all time.