After a 3-0 win over Benin and his farewell to the national team, Lionel Messi posted photos and a letter, then addressed his late father on Instagram.
Argentina held Messi’s farewell match on October 6 at Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium. The friendly against Benin ended 3-0. Messi scored once and assisted on the other two goals, according to the Argentine Football Association and news agency EFE.
Singers Soledad Pastorutti, Ulises Bueno and Sergio Torres performed during the ceremony, and drones lit up the stadium sky. Messi addressed the crowd after the game. The next day, he posted 19 photos and a farewell letter on Instagram. He later shared an image of himself looking up at the sky with the caption: “You don’t know how much we missed you last night...”
Messi was remembering his father, Jorge, who died on August 8. In his closing speech to fans, the footballer said his father was the first person he thought of and that he had been through too much. The Associated Press and other outlets also reported Jorge Messi’s death in August.
Messi had previously written his father a letter saying he doubted whether he could continue his professional career after the loss. The Argentine said he had decided to leave the national team before the 2026 World Cup. He said he wrote the letter on July 21, two days after the final, and that his father’s death had only made him more certain.