Argentina 3-0 Benin Player Ratings: Messi 9.4/10 as the GOAT Signs Off in Style With Two Assists and a Penalty in a Historic Monumental Farewell

There are football matches, and then there are moments that transcend the sport entirely, and what unfolded at the Monumental Stadium on the 6th of October 2026 belongs permanently in the latter category. Lionel Messi pulled on the Albiceleste shirt for the very last time in front of over 85,000 supporters, with the AFA organising this special tribute match against Benin as the perfect farewell to their all-time record scorer, calling back retired World Cup-winning veterans including Otamendi and Di María specifically so they could share the occasion with the man they won it all alongside in Qatar.

The football itself was a fitting farewell. Messi, because of course it was Messi, delivered two assists before adding a penalty of his own in the 71st minute, combining with Otamendi and Nico Paz to produce a performance that reminded everyone present exactly why no debate about the greatest footballer who has ever lived begins anywhere other than his name. His assist for Otamendi's 48th-minute header was a moment of poetic symmetry, the captain providing for the warrior who has defended alongside him across three World Cups and a Copa America triumph that defined a generation.

Nico Paz's 61st-minute finish, created once again by Messi's instinctive, irreplaceable vision, was the goal that sealed the victory and allowed the Monumental to begin processing what was about to happen. When Messi converted the penalty in the 71st minute and was substituted shortly after, the standing ovation that cascaded around one of football's most intimidating venues carried the weight of every save, every goal, every impossible moment this man has produced across 21 extraordinary years of international service for his country.

For Otamendi, brought back from international retirement specifically for this one-off tribute occasion, his assist-rewarded cameo alongside Messi was a moment of pure, unrehearsed emotion that the 85,000 inside the Monumental will carry with them forever. The Argentina national football team's greatest era ends tonight, yet the foundation Messi, Scaloni and this golden generation have built ensures the Albiceleste face the future not with fear, but with the unshakeable confidence of a nation that knows exactly what winning feels like. Check out the Argentina vs Benin player ratings.

Argentina National Football Team Player Ratings vs Benin

Here are the Argentina national football team player ratings from the Argentina vs Benin player ratings.

Benin National Football Team Player Ratings vs Argentina

Have a look at the Benin national football team player ratings from the Argentina vs Benin player ratings.

Man of the Match

Sportsdunia's Man of the Match goes to Lionel Messi.