Lionel Messi Fights Tears as Argentina Honors Its Football Hero

Lionel Messi's tears reflected the emotion of millions of Argentines inside and outside the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. With the memory of his father weighing heavily on him, Messi called his final appearance for Argentina "perhaps the saddest day of my career.

It was a farewell worthy of perhaps the greatest No. 10 ever to wear Argentina's blue and white.

The ceremony was filled with emotion-an occasion Diego Maradona, the only other player to seriously challenge Messi's claim to that status, never received. Long after Argentina's 3-0 victory over Benin, Messi told the more than 80,000 supporters in attendance, I don't want to leave.

The feeling was shared by everyone who had gathered to see him one last time. Messi scored his 208th and final international goal and supplied two assists.

Supporters hoping for one last flash of Messi brilliance were not disappointed. He created Argentina's first two goals before scoring himself, adding a final flourish to his time in the national team's sky blue and white.

His international legacy includes two Copa America titles, an Olympic gold medal and, above all, the World Cup. The emotion began well before kickoff.

Tears streamed down the face of the diminutive giant of the beautiful game as he traveled on the team bus and later stood on the pitch for the national anthem, joined by his three sons. A giant tifo depicting an Argentina shirt and bearing the words Gracias 10" in gold stretched across the field.

The tribute was echoed in the team's gold names and numbers, while Messi's stylized "M" logo took the place of Adidas' familiar three stripes. Lionel Messi made his final appearance for Argentina during an emotional farewell in Buenos Aires The World Cup winner fought back tears during the national anthem Benin provided the fitting opposition for a match honoring one of Argentina's greatest sporting figures In the 10th minute, the match was paused for a standing ovation as fireworks illuminated the night sky.

Benin's players joined more than 80,000 Argentine supporters in applauding Messi's extraordinary career. None of Argentina's other players attempted to take the spotlight from Messi.