Two former Ligue 1 superstars spent the international break at opposite ends of football’s emotional spectrum. Lionel Messi’s last Argentina appearance became a Buenos Aires celebration of a career, while Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp after a dispute over his role against Norway.
Messi, 39, signed off with Argentina in a 3-0 win over Benin in the early hours of Wednesday. He scored once and created two more goals, but the result was only part of an evening built around the country’s farewell to its captain.
The 86,000-capacity Monumental was full for the occasion. Argentina’s anthem moved head coach Lionel Scaloni to tears, while fireworks and a drone display projected Messi’s image above the stadium. After converting a penalty, Messi was surrounded by his team-mates as the farewell gathered pace.
“I would love to stay around forever because the national team is the most beautiful thing in my life,” Messi said in his post-match goodbye.
Scaloni hails Argentina’s departing captain
Scaloni paid a deeply personal tribute to the former Paris Saint-Germain forward after the victory. He thanked Messi for everything he had given Argentina and for representing the shirt with exceptional commitment.
The Argentina coach said he had addressed the squad with little energy left after the occasion, adding that he had never imagined he would coach the player he considers the greatest in football history.
Messi’s final night with the Albiceleste followed a remarkable reversal in his international story. In 2016, while Ronaldo was winning the European Championship in France, Messi had lost his third Copa América final and briefly announced his retirement from international football.
He returned to lead Argentina to Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, then delivered the country’s third World Cup in 2022, ending a 36-year wait since Diego Maradona’s triumph. Argentina also reached the 2026 World Cup final in the United States this summer.
Ronaldo’s Portugal break ends in conflict
Ronaldo’s international window unfolded in starkly different fashion. The 41-year-old striker left Portugal’s camp during the Nations League programme after growing frustrated with coach Jorge Jesus.
The dispute began during Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Norway on Sunday 27 September. Ronaldo was sent out to warm up but was not introduced. He then headed down the tunnel without acknowledging the supporters.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Ronaldo said Jesus had informed him late that he would receive around 30 minutes against Norway, only to change his plan. Ronaldo also said a crisis meeting had produced an agreement over how the coach would explain the matter publicly, but that Jesus did not follow through on that arrangement.
Among the remarks Ronaldo said the coach was expected to make was an admission that it had been a mistake to ask a player of the stature of Pelé or Maradona to warm up and then leave him unused. The proposed wording added that the decision would not be repeated.
Jesus was asked about Ronaldo’s statement by Portuguese television channel CMTV. He said he had not yet read it because he had been watching Portugal Under-21s, and said he would now have time to do so.
Ronaldo indicated in his statement that he still wants to represent Portugal, although his next step with the national side remains unclear. Messi, meanwhile, departed Argentina as a national icon, embraced by a side and a stadium marking the close of an era.
