Messi bids farewell to Argentina with assist and goal as Fernandez breaks down in tears

Lionel Messi brought the curtain down on his Argentina career with a characteristically influential performance, assisting two goals and scoring a third in a 3-0 friendly victory over Benin, while Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was left in tears during the post-match farewell ceremony.

Messi, 39, set up Nicolas Otamendi and Nico Paz before adding a goal of his own to sign off on a high. Fernandez started the match before being withdrawn as part of a late quadruple substitution that also brought off Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero, and Lautaro Martinez. All four returned to the pitch as Messi delivered his farewell speech, with Fernandez and Romero both visibly struggling to contain their emotions.

“A very exciting day to be honest, a lot of mixed feelings,” Fernandez said afterwards. “I hope Leo enjoyed that — we are going to miss him a lot.”

The depth of feeling was understandable. Of Fernandez’s 51 caps for Argentina, 40 were shared with Messi, including the 2022 and 2026 World Cup finals and the 2024 Copa America final. The pair combined for six goals across those appearances, the most recent being Argentina’s equaliser against England in the World Cup semi-finals — Messi returning the favour for the assist Fernandez had provided in their Copa America semi-final win over Canada two years earlier.

Argentina ultimately lost this summer’s World Cup final to Spain, ending Messi’s run as a trophy-winning captain. He announced his retirement from international football in the aftermath of that defeat.

Fernandez had already posted an emotional tribute on social media. “We shared rallies, locker rooms, talks, hugs, difficult times, and amazing moments, and we ended up being world champions together,” he wrote. “I came in excited to share the pitch with my idol, and I met a person who, from the very first moment, made me feel like one more. You always had a word, advice, a hug or just a way to make me feel at ease when I needed it. I will never forget that.”

The 25-year-old now returns to Manchester City ahead of a Premier League trip to Liverpool — their first fixture since the club was found guilty on all financial charges brought against them.