LIONEL MESSI SCORES IN EMOTIONAL SWANSONG FOR ARGENTINA

Lionel Messi says he is “grateful, proud and at peace” after his glittering Argentina career ended with a goal against Benin on an emotional night in Buenos Aires.

BBC Sport says the 39-year-old, playing his 208th and final international game, converted a second-half penalty and registered two assists in a comfortable 3-0 friendly win.

Messi, who announced his international retirement in August, was playing his first game for Argentina since the death of his father, Jorge, aged 68 following a long illness.

After the match he addressed the crowd with a speech spanning nearly 10 minutes, with some of his team-mates – including Manchester City’s Enzo Fernandez – in tears as Messi admitted he did not want to leave the field.

Messi played the full 90 minutes before the 85,000-strong sell-out crowd inside the Monumental were treated to a laser light show, live music and presentations.