Lionel Messi was back on an Inter Miami training pitch on Thursday, two days after he closed a 21-year Argentina career in front of 85,000 fans at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

The 3-0 win over Benin was never in doubt once Nicolás Otamendi headed home a Messi corner in the 48th minute. Nicolás Paz added a left-foot finish from another Messi pass in the 61st, and Messi himself buried a penalty into the top corner in the 71st.

Messi spoke to reporters after the final whistle.

“It was a source of great pride to wear this jersey for over 20 years. I never stopped fighting, never stopped giving my all.”

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The retirement from the national team is on his own terms. “I have nothing left to give,” he said when he announced the decision on 31 August, pointing to his age and the physical cost of staying available for international windows. His Inter Miami contract, extended last October, runs through the 2028 MLS season.

One win in 10 before his return

Miami are not the team he left. Head coach Kily González inherited a five-match winless run when he took charge in September, and the club has managed one win in its last 10 across competitions. An away loss at Columbus Crew just before the international break kept the drift going.

With seven regular-season games left, Inter Miami sit third in the Eastern Conference on 46 points from 27 matches, level with New England and 14 behind runaway leaders Nashville. A top-seven finish locks in a direct place in the best-of-three first round.

González took over from interim coach Guillermo Hoyos. He played alongside Messi in two Argentina qualifiers in 2005 and arrived from Club Atlético Platense in Argentina’s Primera División, where he spent the 2025 season.

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Still leading the league at 39

Messi’s personal numbers have held up through the slump. He tops the MLS in goals (21) and assists (13), and his shot-on-target count sits well clear of the field.

The farewell for Argentina was emotional, but it was also designed to free him for exactly this stretch. Reducing wear and tear during international windows was one of the reasons he cited for stepping away from the national team, alongside giving younger players their turn.

Miami host D.C. United on Saturday, the first of seven regular-season fixtures that will set their playoff seeding.

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