BUENOS AIRES., Argentina (AP) — Lionel Messi turned his official farewell to Argentina into a gala performance, contributing a penalty and two assists in a 3-0 win over Benin on Tuesday at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, where the crowd offered a deafening final ovation to the genius who defined the footballing pulse of a nation for two decades.
In front of 85,000 fans, the superstar capped off an international career spanning 21 years, 126 goals, a 2022 World Cup victory, and two Copa América titles.
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Argentina's Lionel Messi waves to fans at the end of an international friendly soccer match against Benin, marking his farewell appearance for the national team, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Fans hold masks depicting Lionel Messi before his final match for Argentina, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A drone display featuring Argentina's Lionel Messi's jersey is seen at the end of his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Julian Bongiovanni)
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal from the penalty spot during his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP/Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Lionel Messi and teammates watch a drone show at the end of his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP/Photo/Gustavo Garello)
“It was a source of great pride to wear this jersey for over 20 years,” Messi told the crowd, speaking into a microphone from the center of the pitch. “I never stopped fighting, never stopped giving my all. I would love to keep coming back forever, because playing for the Argentine national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”
His teammates — many of them overcome with emotion — along with the coaching staff led by Lionel Scaloni and the fans, gave him a standing ovation.
“I’m going to miss you all. Now I’ll be on your side, supporting the national team and the guys who come next,” Messi promised. “When we’re united, we’re stronger than anyone and can overcome anything. Tough times lie ahead, because what this group achieved won’t be easy to repeat.”
Following a corner kick taken by Messi, defender Nicolás Otamendi connected with a header to open the scoring in the 48th minute. Messi then provided an assist to young talent Nicolás Paz, who paid tribute to the star with an exquisite left-foot finish in the 61st.
Ten minutes later, Messi buried a left-foot penalty into the top corner, adding to his tally as the Albiceleste’s all-time leading scorer.
“Olé, olé, Messi,” the crowd chanted in his honor.
Despite still playing at a high level at age 39, Messi announced on Aug. 31 that the end of his time with Argentina was set.
Messi played his final match — his 208th for Argentina — amid a spectacular fireworks display. He wore a special edition Albiceleste jersey featuring wider vertical stripes than the standard design, a giant sun, and a golden No. 10 on the back. The back detail featured a goat’s horns in the print — a nod to the “GOAT,” referencing both the animal and his status as the “Greatest of All Time.”
Ten minutes after kickoff in the international friendly, the referee paused the match to honor the Argentine captain. Rivals and teammates approached to greet him while fans rose for a standing ovation. Messi raised his hand in acknowledgment.
After the match ended, he thanked his teammates for the titles they had won and left them with a directive: “We need to build a strong, united group because there are people who want the national team to fail, and we shouldn’t give them the satisfaction."
A successor to the legendary Diego Maradona, Messi made his senior national team debut in 2005. His journey was fraught with frustration until 2022, when he finally lifted the World Cup — a triumph that secured his place in the pantheon of the sport’s greatest players and cemented his status as a national hero in Argentina.
Accompanied by his sons Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, Messi was overcome with emotion as the Argentine national anthem played, sung by a veteran of the 1982 Falklands War. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez tried to comfort him by placing an arm around his shoulders.
“It’s not a goodbye, it’s a ‘farewell forever,’ Captain” — that was the message Rebeca Arias and Daniel Lema emblazoned on a hat designed for the occasion. On the brim, they drew various depictions of Messi corresponding to each of the six World Cups he contested. The young couple traveled more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from their native Tucumán to witness his final performance.
“We believe this is a unique moment. It’s all worth it — being here, making the journey we did. Something like this might never happen again with a player,” Arias remarked.
In the last World Cup, Messi went close to another title, falling just short after a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final. However, the runner-up finish didn't overshadow his remarkable performance in the tournament — featuring eight goals and four assists.
“The match against England took a huge toll on us; the reality is that we were running on fumes,” he explained, referring to the dramatic 2-1 semifinal victory.
His contribution was so pivotal that Messi has once again entered the conversation for the Ballon d’Or, competing against the two top contenders to succeed him: Spaniard Lamine Yamal and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.
The Argentine star remains the only footballer to have won the award eight times.
“I am proud to be Argentine and to have been able to fulfill this dream with all of you,” he concluded, before taking a solitary victory lap to cherish the fans’ final chants of “Messi, Messi.”
Before his farewell at the stadium, Messi received an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), a public institution.
The academic institution presented the honor at the national team’s training complex in the suburb of Ezeiza. The star was awarded a diploma and a medal in recognition of his performance with the national team, as well as his influence both on and off the pitch.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Argentina's Lionel Messi waves to fans at the end of an international friendly soccer match against Benin, marking his farewell appearance for the national team, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Fans hold masks depicting Lionel Messi before his final match for Argentina, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A drone display featuring Argentina's Lionel Messi's jersey is seen at the end of his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Julian Bongiovanni)
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal from the penalty spot during his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP/Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Lionel Messi and teammates watch a drone show at the end of his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP/Photo/Gustavo Garello)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — When right-hander Michael King dramatically emerged from the bullpen in a darkened Petco Park to pitch in the eighth inning of Game 3 just two days after he made a five-inning start in Game 2, the San Diego Padres' desperate determination to extend their season was clear.
The relentless Milwaukee Brewers are making that job awfully difficult — but after three scintillating, one-run playoff games packed with pressure moments, extraordinary plays and hero turns in this NL Division Series, the Padres are still fighting for at least another day.
Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking homer, King pitched the final two innings on one day of rest and the Padres avoided playoff elimination with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night, trimming Milwaukee's lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1.
“It feels like we've played three straight games against the Brewers like that,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. “We finally were able to come out on the right end of things in this one. A lot of big effort from a lot of guys during the game to get us to the final score.”
Xander Bogaerts scored San Diego's fourth run on a hustle play in the sixth and then capped his team's stellar defensive performance with a game-ending double play at shortstop for the Padres, who hung on in a nail-biter over the MLB-best Brewers. This is the first playoff series since the 2021 National League Championship Series to begin with three straight one-run decisions.
“Can’t do much about the first two games, but all three games have been really good baseball,” Bogaerts said. “Once tomorrow comes, let’s go for it, but right now let’s enjoy this one, because this was a really good one.”
Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park. If necessary, Game 5 will be back in Milwaukee on Friday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado drove in early runs for the Padres, but their bullpen didn’t have star closer Mason Miller, who went on the paternity list about 45 minutes before the first pitch. San Diego also didn't have top setup man Adrian Morejon, who has shoulder “stickiness,” according to Stammen.
So despite pitching 12 innings in two starts over the previous seven days, King stepped up and finished it off — but only after a thrilling ninth.
The right-hander retired four of his first five batters before walking William Contreras and Brice Turang. Christian Yelich then cracked a 107 mph line drive up the middle, where Bogaerts went down to his knees to field it on a short hop and scampered to touch second base before throwing out Yelich at first to end it.
“I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don’t want to save,” King said. “If you’re in an elimination game, you want everybody to be all in on it, and ... we have a bunch of dogs down there that are all in.”
King — who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the Wild Card Series opener against the Chicago Cubs a week ago — earned his first save since 2023, his first in the postseason and his first for the Padres.
The Padres had won 19 of 22 and swept the Cubs before losing two straight heartbreakers in Milwaukee last weekend.
Contreras homered and had three hits for the Brewers, who lost their 12th consecutive postseason road game dating to the 2018 NLCS.
Yelich even got his first playoff RBI since 2018 with a seventh-inning single, but Milwaukee fell behind early and never led, leaving 11 runners on base.
“That’s part of baseball,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “When you’re facing a good team with a good pitching staff, that’s part of it. We didn’t get the big hit at the big time, but do you fault Yelly for hitting one 107 there and Bogaerts making a great play? They've got a great team, and they played great defense tonight.”
Neither starter excelled on a tense, uncommonly hot October night in downtown San Diego. Nick Pivetta yielded two runs and five hits while pitching into the fifth for the Padres, and Dustin May got pulled abruptly with a 1-0 count on Bogaerts and a runner aboard in the fourth.
Cooper Pratt tied it for Milwaukee right after Pivetta’s exit when Dustin Harris couldn’t throw him out on Jackson Chourio’s 242-foot sacrifice fly. It was the fifth RBI of the series for the 22-year-old Chourio and his 16th in 15 career postseason games, already tying Ryan Braun for the franchise record.
Cronenworth lined JoJo Romero’s first pitch of the fifth over the wall in right for only his second hit of the postseason.
Bogaerts likely saved at least one run in the fifth when he dived to keep Contreras' single in the infield with two runners on.
Bogaerts then singled in the sixth, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Pratt bounced his throw from shortstop for an error after Miguel Andujar’s broken bat came flying toward him along with the grounder.
Yelich singled home Contreras for his first playoff RBI since he homered in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS against the Dodgers — a span of 87 plate appearances over 19 games.
Both managers declined to announce a starting pitcher for Game 4. Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick are all available after starting a combined 45 games for the Brewers this season, while 32-game starter Walker Buehler is fresh for the Padres.
A previous version of this story corrected that King started Game 2, not Game 1.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
San Diego Padres pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez celebrates after striking out Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell to end the top of the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio reacts after striking out during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King throws during the eighth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres' Samad Taylor, right, celebrates as teammate Xander Bogaerts (2) scores during the sixth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres pitcher Yuki Matsui celebrates after getting Milwaukee Brewers' Brice Turang to ground out with the bases loaded to end the top of the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Cooper Pratt, right, scores past San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Cooper Pratt scores during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth, right, is congratulated by teammate Jackson Merrill (3) after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
