{"id":266207,"date":"2026-10-07T05:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T05:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/07\/was-a-total-disgrace-fans-make-feelings-clear-about-argentina-fa-after-lackluster-lionel-messi-farewell\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T05:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T05:12:23","slug":"was-a-total-disgrace-fans-make-feelings-clear-about-argentina-fa-after-lackluster-lionel-messi-farewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/07\/was-a-total-disgrace-fans-make-feelings-clear-about-argentina-fa-after-lackluster-lionel-messi-farewell\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Was a total disgrace&#8221; &#8211; Fans make feelings clear about Argentina FA after &#8216;lackluster&#8217; Lionel Messi farewell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5225675\" data-slug-id=\"2845652\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fans were far more enthused with how the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/team\/argentina-football\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Argentina<\/a> FA conducted Lionel Messi&#8217;s farewell as the legend ended his Albiceleste career by scoring in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday (October 6).<\/p>\n<p>Messi, 39, left his mark in what was his final game in Albiceleste colours, setting up the opening two goals &#8211; scored by Nicolas Otamendi and Nico Paz after the break &#8211; before scoring from the spot late on.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"template__newsletter-inline-banner-form-combo-widget\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p><img id=\"subscribe-img\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\nThanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>The eight-time Ballon d&#8217;Or winner also hit the post late on and fired a free-kick over as he ended his international career with 126 goals and 70 assists in 208 games across competitions.<\/p>\n<p>However, fans reckoned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/lionel-messi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Lionel Messi<\/a> deserved a better Argentina farewell than the one he received:<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Whoever organised Messi&#8217;s farewell needs to be kicked out,&#8221; one tweeted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I hope it&#8217;s the reverse camera effect, but they had Messi ironically kicking with his right foot, unbelievable,&#8221; another <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/llotemolinari\/status\/2107663300238434792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">commented<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;So very poor, so very tacky! He deserved a better farewell! I hope that Barcelona give it to him the way he truly deserves it,&#8221; one <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Lucas38723796\/status\/2107658616673095789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">posted<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Lionel Messi had the worst farewell in the national team. Very lackluster, such a shame because he deserved so much more,&#8221; another <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lauti_rioss\/status\/2107645825367085457\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">wrote<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Totally aside from whatever jokes there might be, I think Messi deserved a much bigger farewell. I don&#8217;t know about you all, but I didn&#8217;t see them give him so much as a plaque or anything from the AFA,&#8221; one <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/santyn0291\/status\/2107659382263566791\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">posted<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Humbly speaking, the farewell was a total screw-up. If the Monumental didn&#8217;t have a screen, they should&#8217;ve done it somewhere else. The guy played 20 years for the national team; you can&#8217;t make a video with all his moments from start to finish. Don&#8217;t even get me started on the drones and the goat thing, which was a complete embarrassment,&#8221; one tweeted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The emptiness this farewell left me with was a total disgrace, but not out of sadness. They didn&#8217;t rise to the occasion of the player he is, nor of what he means to so many people. That drone show was godawful, the Sancor Seguros thing. It had zero emotion, even Messi wanted to get out of there,&#8221; another <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TinoCLeclerc\/status\/2107661042985677148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">wrote<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Shortly after scoring from the spot, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/lionel-messi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Lionel Messi<\/a> was sent clean through on goal, but his effort from a promising position went wide.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Argentina&#8217;s Nicolas Otamendi shares heartfelt tribute to Lionel Messi as duo retire from international football<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Argentina vs Benin - International Friendly - Source: Getty\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/10\/451a8-17913488214622-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201279%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Argentina vs Benin &#8211; International Friendly &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Argentina defender <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/nicolas-otamendi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Nicolas Otamendi<\/a> penned a heartfelt tribute to Lionel Messi as the duo played their last game for the national team in Buenos Aires against Benin on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Marking his final Albiceleste appearance with a goal, Otamendi was effusive in his praise for Messi, who ended a legendary 21-year career with a goal and two assists:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;If this day was already special, sharing it with Leo Messi makes it even more unforgettable,&#8221; Otamendi wrote on Instagram (as per Albiceleste Talk). &#8220;The greatest player of all time, the one who taught us to never stop believing, to get back up after every setback, and to defend this shirt with our hearts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;What a privilege it has been to share part of this journey and to witness a story that will live forever in football and in the hearts of all Argentines. Thank you, Argentina, for everything. Thank you for making me feel this pride of wearing the sky blue and white. A shirt for a lifetime.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/lionel-messi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Lionel Messi<\/a> and Nicolas Otamendi are set to remain active in club football for a while despite playing their final games for Argentina.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Bhargav<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/football\/news-was-total-disgrace-fans-make-feelings-clear-argentina-fa-lackluster-lionel-messi-farewell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fans were far more enthused with how the Argentina FA conducted Lionel Messi&#8217;s farewell as the legend ended his Albiceleste career by scoring in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday (October 6). Messi, 39, left his mark in what was his final game in Albiceleste colours, setting up the opening [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}