208 matches, 125 goals, 1 World Cup: Messi’s history in Argentina

All eyes will be on the Estadio Mas Monumental on Tuesday night as Argentina take on Benin. This is no ordinary friendly match. Lionel Messi will be in the game. Not only is he the best of his generation, he is arguably the best of all time. When he plays his last match in the Albiceleste jersey, it will be a moment of intense interest. His international career, which began in 2005, is coming to an end after 21 years.

The football world is bidding farewell to Messi from international football. Before that, let's take a look at all the achievements of Messi—

1 – Messi has won one World Cup. Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 final in Qatar. That victory earned them the World Cup.

2 – Messi has won two Copa Americas. He led Argentina to the continental title in 2021 and 2024. He has also won the Golden Ball twice at the World Cup. He was named the tournament's best player in 2014 and 2022.

3 – Argentina have reached three World Cup finals with Messi. The team lost to Germany in 2014. They lost to Spain in 2026.

5 – Messi's most goals in a single match is five. He achieved this feat against Estonia in 2022. With this, he joins two other players in the history of the Argentina men's national team: Juan Marvezzi (against Ecuador in 1941) and José Manuel Moreno (against Ecuador in 1942).

6 – Messi has played in six World Cups with Argentina. He made his World Cup debut in 2006. He is tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for the most World Cup appearances among male footballers.

11 – Messi has scored 11 hat-tricks in international football. The first came against Switzerland in 2012. The most recent came against Algeria in the 2026 World Cup.

18 – Messi's jersey number was 18 when he made his debut for Argentina. He wore this number in the match against Hungary in 2005.

21 – Messi has scored 21 goals in the World Cup. Seven of those came in 2022. He scored eight last summer, when Argentina reached the final for the second time in a row.

25 – 25 of Messi's 125 international goals have come from penalties. He also holds the record for the most missed penalties at a World Cup, missing three in the tournament.

47 – Messi's debut for Argentina lasted just 47 seconds. He came on as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 win over Hungary. Vilmos Vancak pulled his shirt. Messi threw his arm back and hit Vancak in the face, earning him a straight red card.

125 – Messi has scored 125 goals for his national team, placing him second on the list. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is at the top with 146 goals.

208 – Messi's total for Argentina will be 208 after Tuesday's friendly against Benin.