Lionel Messi closes his international career with a perfect record at one particular venue, having never lost a match with Argentina at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental.
The stat resurfaced this week as clubs and fans across Argentine football paid tribute to Messi following his retirement announcement from the national team, with River among those honoring his legacy.
Across 28 appearances at the Monumental, spanning two decades of World Cup qualifiers and friendlies, Messi finished with 22 wins and six draws, never once suffering a defeat on that ground. He also found the net 19 times in that stretch, further cementing the Monumental as one of the most fruitful stages of his international career.
The gesture reflected the broader wave of tributes that followed Messi’s retirement letter, in which he described the decision as one that “hurt and still hurts the soul,” while thanking teammates, coaches and fans for two decades of shared history with the Albiceleste.
Every Messi match with Argentina at the Monumental
| Date | Result | Competition |
| Oct 9, 2005 | Argentina 2-0 Peru | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 13, 2007 | Argentina 2-0 Chile | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Nov 17, 2007 | Argentina 3-0 Bolivia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Jun 15, 2008 | Argentina 1-1 Ecuador | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Sep 4, 2008 | Argentina 1-1 Paraguay | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 11, 2008 | Argentina 2-1 Uruguay | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Mar 28, 2009 | Argentina 4-0 Venezuela | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Jun 6, 2009 | Argentina 1-0 Colombia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 10, 2009 | Argentina 2-1 Peru | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Sep 7, 2010 | Argentina 4-1 Spain | Friendly |
| Jun 20, 2011 | Argentina 4-0 Albania | Friendly |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Argentina 4-1 Chile | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Nov 11, 2011 | Argentina 1-1 Bolivia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Jun 2, 2012 | Argentina 4-0 Ecuador | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Mar 22, 2013 | Argentina 3-0 Venezuela | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Jun 7, 2013 | Argentina 0-0 Colombia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Jun 4, 2014 | Argentina 3-0 Trinidad and Tobago | Friendly |
| Mar 24, 2017 | Argentina 1-0 Chile | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Sep 6, 2017 | Argentina 1-1 Venezuela | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Sep 9, 2021 | Argentina 3-0 Bolivia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 10, 2021 | Argentina 3-0 Uruguay | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Mar 23, 2023 | Argentina 2-0 Panama | Friendly |
| Sep 7, 2023 | Argentina 1-0 Ecuador | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 12, 2023 | Argentina 1-0 Paraguay | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 10, 2024 | Argentina 1-1 Venezuela | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Oct 15, 2024 | Argentina 6-0 Bolivia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Jun 10, 2025 | Argentina 1-1 Colombia | World Cup Qualifiers |
| Sep 4, 2025 | Argentina 3-0 Venezuela | World Cup Qualifiers |
see also
Lionel Messi’s retirement leaves many possible successors for Argentina’s No. 10 shirt
Messi’s trophy haul with Argentina
Messi’s international career with Argentina was defined not just by numbers, but by six major titles across youth and senior level. He won the U-20 World Cup in 2005 and Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games with Argentina’s youth sides, laying the foundation for what was to come with the senior national team.
As an adult, he added four more to that tally: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the 2024 Copa America. Those six trophies, combined with his unbeaten record at the Monumental, round out a legacy that stands as the most decorated in Argentine football history.
