Messi Argentina Home Farewell: A Brace Sinks Venezuela (2025)
The Messi Argentina home farewell, one of the most emotional recent nights in our On This Day series, came on Thursday 4 September 2025, when Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-0 win over Venezuela at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, in what he had said would be his last home World Cup qualifier. Messi struck on 39 and 80 minutes, with Lautaro Martinez heading the second on 76, in a 2026 CONMEBOL qualifier that Argentina, the reigning world champions, had already qualified from. Tears and standing ovations framed a goodbye the 38-year-old had asked for.
What follows is how the evening unfolded, why Messi framed it as goodbye, and why the two goals landed the way they did.
Key Facts
- Played on Thursday 4 September 2025 at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, a 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier in front of a crowd of 76,490, as ESPN’s match report records.
- Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0. Lionel Messi scored on 39 and 80 minutes; Lautaro Martinez headed the second goal on 76.
- Messi, 38, had announced this would be his last home World Cup qualifier, though he stopped short of confirming retirement.
- Argentina, the reigning world champions, had already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup; their final qualifier was away to Ecuador in Guayaquil, per the Buenos Aires Times.
- Messi’s first goal was laid on by Julian Alvarez; his second turned in a low cross from Thiago Almada. Nico Gonzalez supplied the cross for Lautaro’s header.
- The result moved Messi to 36 goals in South American World Cup qualifying, more than any other player, as ESPN reported.
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The Night Buenos Aires Said Goodbye
A Farewell Messi Chose Himself
Messi walked out already in tears. According to the Buenos Aires Times, he could not hold back before kick-off, with his father Jorge and his young family watching from the stands and banners around the Monumental reading a thank-you to their captain. He had set the terms himself: at 38, he had told reporters this Venezuela qualifier would be his last competitive home match in the shirt, even as he declined to call time on his career. Argentina were already through to the 2026 World Cup as holders, so the stakes were entirely personal, a city turning out to watch its greatest player one more time.
Messi kept the door open on the tournament itself. “Being able to finish this way here is what I’ve always dreamed of,” he said afterwards, quoted by Al Jazeera, adding that his presence at the 2026 finals would depend on how his body held up. The farewell, then, was to the home qualifiers rather than to Argentina, a distinction the night held in careful balance.
How the Messi Argentina Home Farewell Unfolded
The football matched the occasion. On 39 minutes Leandro Paredes won possession in midfield and released Julian Alvarez in behind; Alvarez burst into the area and rolled the ball across for Messi, who swept in the opener for 1-0. Venezuela, chasing an intercontinental play-off place, kept the deficit to one goal past the hour before Argentina pulled clear. On 76 minutes Nico Gonzalez crossed low from the left and Lautaro Martinez stooped to head in off the goalkeeper for 2-0, as NBC Sports described it.
Four minutes later came the goal the Monumental wanted. Thiago Almada rolled a low ball across the six-yard box and Messi, running in unmarked, turned it first time into the bottom corner for 3-0 on 80 minutes. It was the perfect script for a night built around one man, and it carried him to 36 goals in South American World Cup qualifying, more than any player in the competition’s history, as ESPN reported.
| Minute | Scorer | Team | Assist | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Julian Alvarez | 1-0 |
| 76 | Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | Nico Gonzalez | 2-0 |
| 80 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Thiago Almada | 3-0 |
How the night unfolded, from the tears to the ovation:
- KO Messi walks out in tears, family in the stands, banners thanking the captain.
- 39′ Alvarez squares for Messi, who finishes for 1-0.
- 76′ Lautaro Martinez heads in Nico Gonzalez’s cross, 2-0.
- 80′ Messi turns in Almada’s cross first time for 3-0, his brace complete.
- FT Fireworks and a lap of honour as the Monumental salutes its captain.
Where It Sits in Messi’s Argentina Story
Argentina have produced two footballers the rest of the world argues over, and the Monumental has now framed the second of them saying goodbye. Diego Maradona carried the 1986 World Cup on his own; Messi answered it with the 2022 title in Qatar and, on this night, closed the home chapter of the qualifying road with a brace. For the fuller story of the number 10 who came before him, our Diego Maradona documentary traces the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century in the same afternoon.
The farewell was to a specific thing, the home World Cup qualifier, not to the shirt. Messi’s final qualifier of the campaign came days later, away to Ecuador in Guayaquil, per the Buenos Aires Times, which kept the Monumental as the last home stage of a run that stretched back two decades. Whether he plays at the 2026 finals he left open, but the Buenos Aires goodbye was deliberate, staged and taken on his own terms.
READ MORE: More international nights that turned on a single player in our On This Day series →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Messi’s Argentina Home Farewell (2025)
What was the score when Messi played his last home World Cup qualifier for Argentina?
Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 on 4 September 2025 at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. Lionel Messi scored on 39 and 80 minutes, with Lautaro Martinez heading the second on 76. It was a 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier and, by Messi’s own account, his last home qualifier.
Who scored in Argentina 3-0 Venezuela on 4 September 2025?
Lionel Messi scored twice for Argentina, on 39 and 80 minutes, and Lautaro Martinez scored on 76. Julian Alvarez set up Messi’s first and Thiago Almada crossed for his second, while Nico Gonzalez supplied the cross Lautaro headed home. Venezuela did not score.
Where was Messi’s Argentina home farewell played?
It was played at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, the home of River Plate and Argentina’s national team. A crowd of 76,490, recorded in ESPN’s match report, watched Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 on 4 September 2025. It was a 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier.
Was this Lionel Messi’s retirement match for Argentina?
No. Messi, 38, described the Venezuela match as his last home World Cup qualifier, not his retirement. He said his involvement at the 2026 World Cup would depend on his physical condition, so he did not announce the end of his Argentina career on 4 September 2025.
How many goals did Messi score in his Argentina home farewell?
Lionel Messi scored two goals, a brace, on 39 and 80 minutes in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Venezuela on 4 September 2025. The result took him to 36 goals in South American World Cup qualifying, more than any other player, as ESPN reported. Lautaro Martinez scored the other goal.
Why was Argentina 3-0 Venezuela an emotional night for Messi?
Messi had said the match would be his last home World Cup qualifier, so a sellout Monumental turned it into a goodbye. According to the Buenos Aires Times, he walked out in tears with his father Jorge and his young family in the stands, banners thanked the captain, and fireworks marked the final whistle. He then scored twice.
Had Argentina already qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
Yes. Argentina, the reigning world champions, had already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup before facing Venezuela on 4 September 2025. That left the result free of qualifying pressure and turned the evening into a personal farewell for Messi at the Estadio Mas Monumental.
What did Messi say after his Argentina home farewell?
Messi said finishing this way was what he had always dreamed of, quoted by Al Jazeera after the 3-0 win over Venezuela. He added that playing at home in front of Argentina’s fans was always a joy, and that any appearance at the 2026 World Cup would depend on how he felt physically.
Who assisted Messi’s goals against Venezuela on 4 September 2025?
Julian Alvarez set up Messi’s first goal on 39 minutes, cutting the ball back after Leandro Paredes won possession in midfield. Thiago Almada crossed low for Messi’s second on 80 minutes, which the captain turned in first time. Both goals came in Argentina’s 3-0 win at the Monumental.
What was Messi’s last World Cup qualifier for Argentina?
The Venezuela match on 4 September 2025 was Messi’s last home qualifier, but Argentina had one fixture left. Their final 2026 qualifier was away to Ecuador in Guayaquil, per the Buenos Aires Times, which kept the Monumental as the last home stop on the qualifying road. Argentina had already qualified as holders.
How does Messi’s record in South American World Cup qualifying compare?
After his brace against Venezuela, Lionel Messi had 36 goals in South American World Cup qualifying, more than any other player in the competition’s history, as ESPN reported. The two goals on 4 September 2025 extended a scoring record built across two decades of Argentina qualifying campaigns.
Why does Messi’s Argentina home farewell still matter?
It marked the end of a home chapter that ran from Messi’s debut years to the reigning world champions of 2022, closed with a brace in front of his family and a sellout Monumental. For a player who had waited until 2022 to win the World Cup, choosing his own Buenos Aires goodbye, and delivering two goals, gave the night a rare completeness.
Messi’s Argentina Home Farewell (2025)
Tears at kick-off, a brace to follow, and fireworks over a sellout Monumental: Lionel Messi chose how to say goodbye to Argentina’s home World Cup qualifiers, and Venezuela were the visitors who watched him do it 3-0. For more international nights that hinged on a single player, from records to farewells, keep exploring our On This Day football history series and the channel.
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