Lionel Messi’s first thought after ending his more than 20-year Argentina journey was for his late father Jorge, who played a huge role in his life and football career.

Messi immediately mentions the most important person in his life after Argentina farewell

Lionel Messi immediately mentioned one of the most important people in his life after bringing his legendary Argentina career to an end, his late father Jorge Messi.

Messi played his 208th and final international match as Argentina defeated Benin 3-0 at the Monumental.

After the final whistle, the legendary No.10 took the microphone in front of more than 80,000 supporters to deliver an emotional farewell message.

But despite the huge crowd chanting his name, Messi’s first thoughts were with someone who could not be there.

His father.

Messi immediately thinks about his father

Speaking after the match, Messi admitted that many emotions were going through his mind.

He then revealed the first person he was thinking about.

Messi said:

“The first thing I think about is my old man.”

He was referring to his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away earlier in 2026.

The words immediately created one of the most emotional moments of Messi’s farewell night.

Jorge Messi was there from the beginning

Jorge played a huge role in his son’s journey from Rosario to becoming one of the greatest footballers in history.

When Messi was still a young teenager, his family made the life-changing decision to move to Spain so he could continue his development with Barcelona.

Jorge later became a trusted adviser and played an important role in managing many parts of Messi’s career.

For more than two decades, he remained one of the closest people to Lionel throughout his football journey.

His father wanted one final World Cup

The connection between Messi’s Argentina career and his father became even more emotional during his final years with the national team.

Messi previously revealed that Jorge wanted him to continue long enough to play one more World Cup.

That wish became even more meaningful as his father’s health became worse.

Messi eventually represented Argentina at the 2026 World Cup before deciding that the time had come to end his international career.

A deeply personal year for Messi

The loss of his father made 2026 an especially difficult year away from football.

Only weeks later, Messi confirmed that his international journey was also approaching its end.

That made his farewell against Benin much more than simply the final match of a legendary career.

It was also the end of a journey that his father had supported from the very beginning.

Messi speaks about more than 20 years with Argentina

After mentioning his father, Messi reflected on everything he had experienced with the national team.

He described wearing the Argentina shirt for so many years as a huge source of pride.

Messi also admitted that leaving the national team would be extremely difficult.

After more than two decades, playing for Argentina had become one of the most important parts of his life.

An emotional goodbye at the Monumental

The farewell atmosphere had already been emotional long before Messi’s speech.

Supporters filled the Monumental to say goodbye to their legendary No.10.

The match was even temporarily stopped in the 10th minute so the entire stadium could applaud him.

Messi looked towards the stands and thanked the supporters as chants of his name filled the ground.

But his post-match message showed that his thoughts were also far beyond what was happening inside the stadium.

Messi produces one final masterclass

Despite all the emotion surrounding the occasion, Messi still delivered on the pitch.

Argentina defeated Benin 3-0.

Messi was directly involved in all three goals.

He provided two assists before scoring from the penalty spot himself.

It was a fitting final performance from the player who had carried Argentina through so many unforgettable matches.

A career transformed by international success

Messi’s international journey was not always easy.

For years, he faced criticism after losing several major finals with Argentina.

But the final chapter completely changed his story.

He helped Argentina win the Copa América, Finalissima and the World Cup.

Those trophies finally gave Messi the international success he had spent so many years chasing.

The first person on Messi’s mind

Messi stood in front of a packed Monumental with thousands of people calling his name.

His teammates, coaches, family members and supporters were all part of the farewell.

Yet the first person he mentioned was his father.

It was a simple sentence, but it revealed just how important Jorge Messi remained to him on one of the biggest nights of his life.

A farewell bigger than football

Messi’s final Argentina match will be remembered for the goals, assists and emotional tributes.

But his first words after the game may become one of the most powerful memories of the night.

After more than 20 years representing his country, Messi finally reached the end of his international journey.

And at that moment, his first thought was for the man who had helped him begin it.