Video: Lionel Messi in tears during Argentina’s national anthem in international farewell match

Lionel Messi could not hold back the tears at the Monumental in Buenos Aires. The Argentina captain broke down toward the end of the national anthem, just minutes before the start of his farewell match against Benin, in front of a stadium that came to say goodbye to its greatest idol.

The anthem was performed by singer Fabio Santana, a Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) veteran, and Messi sang along with his children and a crowd that was moved to tears as well.

It was the last time he heard it as a player for the national team, and the emotion overflowed when the final verses were reaching their end. Earlier in the day, Messi had already been seen wiping away tears on the way to the stadium.

Messi is playing his 208th and final match for Argentina after 21 years with the national team, in which he scored 125 goals, won the 2022 World Cup, the 2022 Finalissima and the Copa América twice, and became the most-capped player in its history.

الاسطورة يذرف الدموع 💔💔💔 https://t.co/eg7OOfmRcD

— Messi World (@M10GOAT) October 6, 2026

The next question: who inherits the No. 10?

Messi’s farewell also opens one of the most symbolic debates in Argentine soccer: who will wear the No. 10 after him. Coach Lionel Scaloni has said the shirt will not be handed to anyone right away, and that it will stay reserved until after the match against Benin.

According to TyC Sports, Nicolás Paz and Franco Mastantuono are the main candidates. Other names being discussed include Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Thiago Almada, while ESPN Argentina’s Federico Bueno reports that the team has an internal plan for Paz to inherit it if Scaloni renews his contract, which expires on December 31.

Retiring the number, as AFA president Claudio Tapia once promised, is not an option in official tournaments. FIFA requires World Cup and Copa América squads to use consecutive numbers from 1 to 26, so Argentina cannot leave the No. 10 empty, a rule that already blocked an attempt to retire Diego Maradona’s shirt before the 2002 World Cup.