Lionel Messi brought his Argentina career to an emotional close at the age of 39, scoring in a 3-0 victory over Benin before sharing a tearful family moment with his eldest son at the Estadio Monumental.
After delivering his final address to the supporters, Messi was embraced by Thiago during the closing celebrations. Around nine minutes after he began speaking to the crowd, the youngster broke down in tears as he stood in his father’s arms on the pitch.
The packed stadium had witnessed one of Argentina’s greatest footballers in front of about 80,000 fans. But the defining image of the night became that of a father comforting his son in the centre of the pitch.
Argentine website Infobae described the scene between Messi and Thiago as “an embrace that stopped time”.
Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, joined them moments later, gently patting both of them as she tried to console them. The family then made their way slowly towards the dressing rooms, accompanied by applause from the crowd and music from the closing performance.
The farewell show was led by Grupo Cali, with singer Sergio Torres also taking part.
Messi’s other two sons, Mateo and Ciro, completed the family scene. All three boys had accompanied their father when he walked on to the pitch before the match.
TyC Sports shared footage of Thiago’s emotional reaction on 7 October 2026, captioning the post: “The emotion of Thiago Messi after his father’s retirement from the Argentina national team.”
Messi made no attempt to hide how difficult the occasion was, telling the supporters: “I don’t want to leave here.”
He later summed up the significance of the moment by saying: “Today, once again here, is the saddest day of my career, because I will miss defending the colours of the national team.”
The Argentina captain also warned that the team would inevitably face difficult periods in the future. He called for unity as the side seeks to continue pursuing major ambitions, prompting what was described as historic applause from the stadium.
His goal against Benin ensured that his final appearance for the national team ended in victory, but the match’s lasting memory came after the football had finished, when Messi’s farewell became a private family moment in front of the watching crowd.
