Chilean referee Fernando Véjar approached Lionel Messi in the 93rd minute of Argentina’s 3-0 win over Benin and asked whether he could blow the final whistle.
Messi nodded, and Véjar ended the match at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. The friendly on Tuesday, October 6, was the forward’s final appearance for Argentina, according to the report by CNN Brasil.
The match had been arranged as a tribute to the Argentina captain. Afterward, Messi said he wished the moment could last longer and that he wanted the game to “never end.”
“Today is perhaps the saddest day of my career. I will miss playing here very much,” Messi said in his farewell speech. His international career with Argentina spanned more than two decades.
Argentina won 3-0. Messi converted a penalty in the 70th minute and also assisted two other goals, giving him a direct role in all three scores.