Lionel Messi plays his 208th and final match for Argentina tonight against Benin

Two hundred and seven caps, two Copa Americas, one World Cup, and 931 career goals later, Lionel Messi steps onto the pitch at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night for the last time in an Argentina shirt. His opponent is Benin. The occasion is everything.

Kickoff is scheduled in the evening in Buenos Aires in a match being called 'The Last Tango.' Messi announced his international retirement in the weeks after his father's passing. In announcing his retirement, he said he had 'nothing left to give.'

nothing left to give— Lionel Messi

The friendly carries no competitive stakes, but it functions, according to CBS Sports, as a send-off not just for Messi but for the broader generation that delivered Argentina's long-awaited third World Cup in Qatar. Messi flew into Buenos Aires from Miami on Friday on a private jet ahead of the match, according to Yahoo Sports.

The farewell comes at a moment when the numbers still argue against retirement. At the recent World Cup — played at age 39, with only 1,243 league minutes in his legs going in — Messi posted 7.91 non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists across the tournament, more than 10 percent higher than second-placed Kylian Mbappé, according to CBS Sports. He was completing one-on-ones more successfully than Vinicius Junior or Bradley Barcola. The average outfield player who logged more than 300 minutes at the tournament produced 0.5 expected assists total; Messi was producing that figure per game.

That World Cup ended in defeat — a loss to Spain that CBS Sports described as 'in keeping with so much of his international career,' a reflection of how often the 10 men around him were unable to match the demands placed on the greatest player of his generation. The glory of Qatar in 2022, by that reading, was the exception: the year the supporting cast did just enough, and Messi was the best he had ever been.

Messi has retired from international duty before. His first announced exit came after Argentina missed a penalty against Chile in 2016 — a penalty he himself missed — and a portion of Argentine fans turned on him. That ending was not allowed to stand. This one will be. Argentina fans, according to the Associated Press, are confident there is a bright future beyond him.

At club level, Messi's contract with Inter Miami runs to 2028, by which time he will be 41. CBS Sports notes that with 931 career goals, a path to 1,000 is mathematically alive — requiring roughly 80 more club appearances at his current scoring rate, achievable with either injury luck or one additional contract year.

A return to Barcelona, where Messi's career began, has faded as a possibility. Xavi said earlier this year that club president Joan Laporta had blocked a potential return in 2023 for political reasons, according to CBS Sports.

The match will be available on various regional broadcasters.

Why it matters — The match closes a 22-year international career that redefined Argentine football and produced statistical performances — including at the 2026 World Cup at age 39 — that make the retirement feel premature even as it arrives.

Reported by yahoo.com, cbssports.com, nbcsports.com, ole.com.ar