Lionel Messi has described his retirement from international football as the “saddest day of my career” after making his final appearance for Argentina in a 3-0 victory over Benin on Tuesday.

Messi capped his farewell performance at the Monumental Stadium with a goal and two assists before addressing the emotional home crowd and reflecting on his remarkable 21-year career with the Argentina national team.

“It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years,” Messi told the packed stadium.

“Even in the worst moments we went through and that I had, I never stopped fighting, never stopped being here.

“Not coming anymore is going to be deeply painful. I swear I’d like to play for the rest of my life, because playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”

The 39-year-old said returning to the Monumental, the venue where Argentina played their first match after winning the 2022 World Cup, made his farewell even more emotional.

“Now I’m here on the saddest day of my career, which is the day I have to say goodbye to the national team, goodbye to all of you.

“But now I’ll be on that side, with the fans, supporting all the boys, everyone who comes in. Always united,” he said.

Despite the emotion surrounding his departure, Messi insisted he had no regrets about the timing of his decision.

He pointed to the physical and emotional demands of Argentina’s campaign at this year’s World Cup, where the South Americans reached the final before suffering defeat to Spain.

Messi admitted the intense journey, including a 2-1 semi-final victory over bitter rivals England, had taken a significant toll.

“Even though I want to be here all my life, I feel that this is the moment. The last World Cup was too much, everything I had to live through,” Messi said.

“We had the dream of fulfilling my dream and the dream of the whole country, of becoming world champions again.

“In the last World Cup we were very close, and the reality is that nothing strange happened, as people say. The match against England took a huge toll on us physically, and emotionally it was very big.

“We arrived with just enough, we fought like we always did with this jersey, with all the teammates I got to be with and share things with, not only them but also those who were around in the time when we managed to win. We were very close.”

Messi leaves international football as one of Argentina’s greatest-ever players, having led the country to major honours and cemented his status as a national icon.