Lionel Messi will face Benin on Oct. 6 in Buenos Aires in a farewell match arranged after he announced his international retirement following Argentina's defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
The 39-year-old will walk onto the Monumental Stadium pitch for the final time in the sky-blue and white jersey, entering his farewell as Argentina's record appearance-maker and leading scorer with 207 caps and 125 goals.
His Argentina career began more than two decades ago with uncertainty and relative anonymity. Before the country embraced him as its captain and World Cup-winning No. 10, Argentina first had to find him.
Messi grew up in Rosario, where he began playing football before joining Newell's Old Boys. At 13, he moved with his family to Spain and entered Barcelona's famed youth system.
In Barcelona, Messi was seen as an extraordinary teenage talent. In Argentina, however, his name was still largely unfamiliar outside Rosario and a relatively small circle of football officials and scouts.
That distance would become one of the defining features of his international career. Messi was developing in Spain while Argentina was only beginning to understand what it had produced.
At the 2003 Under-17 World Cup in Finland, Argentina lost 3-2 to Spain in the semifinals. Messi was not part of the squad, but by then his performances at Barcelona had begun attracting attention from Argentinian football officials.
When Claudio Vivas, assistant to then-Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa, showed Bielsa footage of Messi, the coach was so impressed by the teenager's speed that he initially thought the video had been accelerated.
The Argentine Football Association began looking for the teenager and his family in Spain, with the Spanish federation also interested in persuading Messi to represent the country where he had developed.
The teenager had spent much of his formative football years in Spain, but when the choice came, he selected Argentina.
Argentina arranged an Under-20 friendly against Paraguay in Buenos Aires that gave Messi his first opportunity to represent his country.
Messi came off the bench and scored twice on his debut for Argentina's Under-20 team.
It was the beginning of a relationship that would eventually make him the country's most-capped player.
Messi's reputation in Argentina exploded at the 2005 Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.
He scored six goals, won the Golden Boot, and was named the tournament's best player as Argentina won the title.
The teenager who had been relatively unknown in his homeland was suddenly impossible to ignore.
Messi made his senior Argentina debut against Hungary in Budapest.
The appearance lasted less than a minute. After coming on as a substitute, he was sent off following an altercation with Vilmos Vanczák.
It was a troubled start to what would become one of the most celebrated international careers in football history.
At 18, Messi made his World Cup debut in Germany.
He scored against Serbia and Montenegro and became Argentina's youngest World Cup scorer at the time.
Argentina reached the quarterfinals before losing to Germany on penalties.
For Messi, the tournament marked the beginning of a World Cup journey that would span two decades.
Messi's first major senior international final ended in disappointment when Argentina lost 3-0 to Brazil in the Copa America final in Venezuela.
The defeat was an early sign of a pattern that would define the next decade: Messi's individual brilliance would repeatedly be followed by heartbreak with Argentina.
Messi arrived at the World Cup in South Africa as one of the biggest stars in world football, with Argentina coached by Diego Maradona.
He played in all five of Argentina's matches but failed to score as the team reached the quarterfinals, where Germany handed them a 4-0 defeat.
For Messi, the tournament reinforced an increasingly uncomfortable contrast: his achievements with Barcelona were growing rapidly, while similar success with Argentina remained elusive.
A year later, Argentina hosted the Copa America with Messi at the center of expectations.
The hosts reached the quarterfinals but were eliminated by eventual champions Uruguay on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Messi again finished the tournament without a goal, and Argentina's early exit added to the scrutiny surrounding his performances for the national team.
Messi captained Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.
Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany after extra time at the Maracana.
Messi won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, but the defeat deepened the perception that he could dominate club football with Barcelona without delivering the ultimate prize for his country.
A year later, Argentina reached another major final.
Chile beat Argentina on penalties in the Copa America final in Santiago.
Messi had now lost three major international finals with Argentina, intensifying criticism at home.
Argentina lost another Copa America final to Chile on penalties in 2016.
Messi missed his penalty in the shootout and, overwhelmed by another defeat, announced his retirement from international football.
The decision shocked Argentina.
The country that had spent years questioning whether Messi could reproduce his Barcelona form for the national team suddenly faced the possibility of losing its greatest player.
Messi reversed his decision weeks later after talks with new Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza, citing his love for his country and the national team shirt.
The comeback did not immediately erase the criticism, but it marked the beginning of a gradual change in his relationship with the national team.
He would eventually become the undisputed captain and central figure of a team increasingly built around him.
Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 at the Maracana to win the Copa America.
For Messi, it was the breakthrough he had waited for throughout his career.
He had finally won a major senior international title with Argentina, easing years of criticism over his lack of success with the national team.
The biggest prize, however, was still ahead.
Argentina defeated France on penalties after a 3-3 draw in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
Messi scored twice in the final and converted his penalty in the shootout.
At 35, he finally became a world champion, claiming the last major prize missing from his Argentina career.
Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 after extra time in Copa America final in Miami.
Messi lifted the trophy again, giving Argentina back-to-back Copa America titles alongside the 2022 World Cup.
Messi's sixth World Cup ended with Argentina losing 1-0 to Spain after extra time in the final in New Jersey.
The result denied Messi a fairytale ending with a second World Cup title.
Messi announced that he was retiring from international football.
He said the decision hurt but that he had given everything he had to Argentina and believed the time had come for younger players to take their opportunity.
After Messi announced his retirement, the Argentine Football Association invited him back for one final appearance, with President Claudio Tapia saying the captain deserved a farewell in Argentina.
More than two decades after Argentina first discovered the teenage Messi in Barcelona, the 39-year-old will wear the national team shirt for the final time against Benin at the Monumental.
He enters his farewell with a record 207 appearances and 125 goals, alongside a World Cup, two Copa America titles, and a Finalissima.
But his Argentina journey was also about belonging.
Argentina had to discover him, doubt him, lose him, welcome him back — and finally fall in love with him.
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