A look at Messi's time with the Albiceleste: Six titles, 200 games and 121 goals

Countless tears will be shed this Tuesday across the country, not just at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The iconic venue will witness the last time Lionel Messi will wear the Albiceleste jersey. It will be a friendly match against the Benin national team.

At 39 years old, the player considered by many to be the greatest soccer player in history is bringing his time with Argentina to a close, with which he has savored and celebrated the greatest of triumphs and with which he has had to endure and come to terms with the most painful of defeats.

Messi has served his country for just over two decades. On Aug. 17, 2005, he made his debut with the Albiceleste in a friendly match against Hungary in Budapest. That first appearance was nothing short of chaotic: barely seconds after stepping onto the field, he was sent off for a scuffle with an opponent.

However, that red card shown to him by the referee was not the end of a story, but the prologue to one of the most breathtaking sporting epics of all time.

A closer look at Messi with the Albiceleste: Statistics and titles

Messi has earned the right to decide when exactly it was time to close this chapter. Over the past 21 years, he has become the player with the most appearances for Argentina. Including the match against Benin, that will bring his total to 201 games, according to figures on his website.

Not only that, but Messi, popularly known as “La Pulga,” is also the Albiceleste’s all-time leading scorer with 121 goals and the player with the most assists, 66. Those totals do not include his final appearance.

In terms of scoring, it's worth highlighting the five goals he managed to score in a single match. That was against Estonia on June 5, 2022. In addition, he has recorded nine hat tricks (three goals in a single match) and 13 braces (two goals).

As for infractions, Messi has received nine yellow cards and two red cards, including the one from his debut against Hungary.

At the national team level, he was the star of the Albiceleste's greatest success in recent history. Messi led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a trophy that had been his ultimate goal ever since he began dazzling fans with his soccer more than two decades ago: It had to learn from its defeats in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He also ended Argentina's 28-year drought at the Copa América, winning the title in 2021. Three years later, the Albiceleste, with Messi as captain, were crowned champions once again. His trophy case also features three more trophies: the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Champions Cup, the gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2005 U-20 World Cup.

The team endured great heartbreak just a few months ago, when was defeated in the final of the 2026 World Cup in the U.S. by Spain.

Beyond his astronomical statistics and the titles he has won, Messi's true greatness with the Albiceleste lies in the impact he had on the game and the passion he ignited in each and every Argentine fan. He led the national team to the very pinnacle of success.