Lionel Messi’s emotional Argentina farewell ends with touching embrace with son Thiago

Lionel Messi’s final appearance for Argentina ended with a 3-0 victory over Benin and an emotional family moment at the Monumental, where his eldest son Thiago broke down in tears in his father’s arms.

Messi, 39, had scored during the match before addressing a packed stadium in what was his final speech to the supporters. About nine minutes after he began speaking, the focus shifted from the Argentina captain in front of almost 80,000 fans to a father comforting his son in the middle of the pitch.

The closing ceremony was performed by Grupo Cali, with singer Sergio Torres, but the embrace between Messi and Thiago became the defining image of the night. Argentine outlet Infobae described the scene as “an embrace that stopped time”.

Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, joined them moments later and gently patted both their backs as she consoled them. The family then made its way slowly towards the dressing rooms, with the crowd’s applause blending with the music.

Messi’s other two sons, Mateo and Ciro, completed the family scene. All three boys had accompanied their father when he walked on to the pitch before the match.

A video shared by TyC Sports on 7 October 2026 showed Thiago’s emotional reaction following his father’s retirement from the Argentina national team.

Messi admitted that leaving was difficult during his farewell address.

“I don’t want to leave here,” he told the crowd.

He later summed up the significance of the occasion by saying: “Today, once again here, is the saddest day of my career, because I will miss defending the colours of the national team.”

The Argentina captain also warned that the team would inevitably face difficult periods in the future. He called for unity as the side continued its pursuit of major objectives, words that were met with prolonged applause from the supporters.

The Argentina players’ victory over Benin therefore provided a celebratory result, but the closing moments belonged to Messi and his family as the emotional reality of his international farewell became clear.