Messi at the heart of an emotional final match

“Messi, may I blow the final whistle?” In the 93rd minute, Fernando Vejar walked over to Leo Messi after checking his watch. The referee asked whether he could bring the match to an end, in a night shaped by the emotion surrounding Messi’s final appearance with Argentina’s national team.

During the anthems, Messi was visibly moved alongside his sons and could not sing the national anthem one last time. Then, in the 10th minute, play stopped for a minute as supporters and players applauded and chanted his name.

Messi had provided the assists for the first two goals. But the crowd also hoped to see Argentina’s all-time leading scorer find the net. The first half offered little excitement, while each ball reaching the captain’s left foot stirred the emotion again.

Messi eventually nodded, with a resigned gesture, allowing the referee to end the match. After the final whistle, he gave a farewell speech. His apparent reluctance to leave the field added to the distinctive feel of a night devoted to Messi.