Lionel Messi has now played 207 times for Argentina, with one final appearance remaining. On Tuesday he will face Benin at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental in what amounts to a formal farewell to the squad that delivered the 2022 World Cup under his captaincy.
At club level, his Inter Miami contract runs through 2028, when he will be 41. A Copa America swansong was never certain, yet it could have offered a fitting climax—defending the continental title while potentially breaking the tournament scoring record.
Messi has hinted at international retirement before, but the 2016 penalty miss against Chile left wounds that would not heal. Argentine supporters had unfairly blamed their talisman for years of trophy droughts. This time, he departs as a champion. Upon announcing his retirement following his father’s death, he insisted he had “nothing left to give”—and indeed, Argentina had already seized two Copa Americas and a long-awaited third World Cup.
The most recent benchmark for Messi against the planet’s best arrived at MetLife Stadium two months ago, where Spain’s defeat reflected a broader international pattern: ten men relying on a generational genius could not overcome a complete eleven. Qatar 2022 was the exception—the year the supporting cast stepped up and Messi delivered his peak performance.
Yet the sting of the ending is this: 22 years into his senior career, Messi remains among the world’s elite. Pre-World Cup questions about whether his MLS form masked decline were answered emphatically—eight goals, four assists, carrying Argentina once more.
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To the final whistle, Messi was a breathtaking outlier. He finished the tournament with 7.91 non-penalty xG+xA, over 10 percent ahead of Kylian Mbappé. At 39, he outpaced Vinicius Junior and Bradley Barcola in one-on-one duels, averaging an expected assist per game—far above the 0.5 tournament norm for players exceeding 300 minutes. He was simultaneously the competition’s leading scorer and its most inventive creator.
Those early doubts may have been silenced, yet every perspective—fan, statistician, casual observer—demanded more. How much of his Argentina brilliance stemmed from having logged just 1,243 league minutes beforehand? He excelled against fatigued European representatives; would the magic translate to regular Champions League intensity? That question will go unanswered.
A Barcelona homecoming has faded, with Xavi confirming Joan Laporta blocked a 2023 return for political reasons. By World Cup time, Messi had already committed his remaining prime years to MLS, where he enjoys the spatial freedom he once carefully rationed at Camp Nou.
Work remains at Inter Miami. With 931 career goals, four figures are theoretically reachable—requiring roughly 80 more games at his current rate, assuming durability or a contract extension. An MLS MVP three-peat or CONCACAF Champions Cup glory would be pleasant bonuses, yet they scarcely define his legacy.
It feels somewhat hollow watching history’s greatest player accumulate stats against CF Montreal and Sporting Kansas City. Of course, while he remains exceptional, he ought to be testing himself in the Champions League. And while he can still shine internationally, why should he not?
More than two decades in, unconquered territories still seem to surround Messi. Yet the finest entertainers know when to leave audiences wanting more. Perhaps we are only just beginning to grasp what this extraordinary career means.