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Lionel Messi played his final game for Argentina
Lionel Messi’s storied career with the Argentine national team came to a close on Tuesday night, and the scenes were emotional. Not for Messi’s wife, that is, but for his teammates.
A hilarious clip that’s gone massively viral on social media shows Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo remaining composed as she clapped for her superstar husband ahead of the match before cutting to Messi’s blubbering teammate Enzo Fernandez.
A video going viral on social media highlighted the drastically different reactions of Messi’s wife and teammates to his final Argentina match
A reação de Antonella, esposa de Messi, durante as homenagens em sua despedida
Aí cortam pro Enzo Fernández: https://t.co/JT5QFBn3gB
— Sala12 (@OficialSala12) October 7, 2026
After the match, Fernández said it was “a very emotional day” with “a lot of mixed feelings.” As for Roccuzzo, reports indicated she watched from the stands with Messi’s mother, Celia Cuccittini.
Messi, 39, played his final match for Argentina on Tuesday, October 6, in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin in front of about 85,000 fans at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The legendary forward scored a penalty, his 126th international goal, and set up the other two goals for Nicolás Otamendi and Nicolás Paz. It was his 208th cap in his 21-year-long international career.
Lionel Messi scored a penalty and set up two goals in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Benin in his final match for the national team Tuesday, a farewell that left teammate Enzo Fernández in tears during the post-game tributes.
The match was officially stopped about 10 minutes after kickoff to honor Messi, and after the final whistle he told the crowd, “I’m going to miss you all.”
Gulf News reports Fernández was visibly crying during the post-game tributes. Goal reports he later posted an open letter to Messi that ends, “We are going to miss you a lot, captain.”
Messi announced his retirement from the national team on August 31 on Instagram, after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain, writing on Instagram: “I emptied my tank; I have nothing left to give.”
While Messi’s international career may have come to a close, his club career in MLS will continue this weekend when Inter Miami takes on DC United on Saturday, October 10.