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Lionel Messi's international career included a perfect record at River Plate's Monumental, never once losing with Argentina at the historic venue. Lionel Messi closes his international career with a perfect record at one particular venue, having never lost a match with Argentina at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental. The stat resurfaced this week as clubs and fans across Argentine football paid tribute to Messi following his retirement announcement from the national team, with River among those honoring his legacy. Across 28 appearances at the Monumental, spanning two decades of World Cup qualifiers and friendlies, Messi finished with 22 wins and six draws, never once suffering a defeat on that ground. He also found the net 19 times in that stretch, further cementing the Monumental as one of the most fruitful stages of his international career. The gesture reflected the broader wave of tributes that followed Messi’s retirement letter, in which he described the decision as one that “hurt and still hurts the soul,” while thanking teammates, coaches and fans for two decades of shared history with the Albiceleste. 🏟️ Una historia 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮 en el Monumental: 28 partidos, 19 goles, 22 victorias y 6 empates.Gracias por tu magia en casa, Leo 🇦🇷🐐 pic.twitter.com/kjRbmBk4kI— River Plate (@RiverPlate) August 31, 2026 Every Messi match with Argentina at the Monumental DateResultCompetitionOct 9, 2005Argentina 2-0 PeruWorld Cup QualifiersOct 13, 2007Argentina 2-0 ChileWorld Cup QualifiersNov 17, 2007Argentina 3-0 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 15, 2008Argentina 1-1 EcuadorWorld Cup QualifiersSep 4, 2008Argentina 1-1 ParaguayWorld Cup QualifiersOct 11, 2008Argentina 2-1 UruguayWorld Cup QualifiersMar 28, 2009Argentina 4-0 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 6, 2009Argentina 1-0 ColombiaWorld Cup QualifiersOct 10, 2009Argentina 2-1 PeruWorld Cup QualifiersSep 7, 2010Argentina 4-1 SpainFriendlyJun 20, 2011Argentina 4-0 AlbaniaFriendlyOct 7, 2011Argentina 4-1 ChileWorld Cup QualifiersNov 11, 2011Argentina 1-1 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 2, 2012Argentina 4-0 EcuadorWorld Cup QualifiersMar 22, 2013Argentina 3-0 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 7, 2013Argentina 0-0 ColombiaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 4, 2014Argentina 3-0 Trinidad and TobagoFriendlyMar 24, 2017Argentina 1-0 ChileWorld Cup QualifiersSep 6, 2017Argentina 1-1 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersSep 9, 2021Argentina 3-0 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersOct 10, 2021Argentina 3-0 UruguayWorld Cup QualifiersMar 23, 2023Argentina 2-0 PanamaFriendlySep 7, 2023Argentina 1-0 EcuadorWorld Cup QualifiersOct 12, 2023Argentina 1-0 ParaguayWorld Cup QualifiersOct 10, 2024Argentina 1-1 VenezuelaWorld Cup QualifiersOct 15, 2024Argentina 6-0 BoliviaWorld Cup QualifiersJun 10, 2025Argentina 1-1 ColombiaWorld Cup QualifiersSep 4, 2025Argentina 3-0 VenezuelaWorld Cup Qualifiers Messi’s trophy haul with Argentina Messi’s international career with Argentina was defined not just by numbers, but by six major titles across youth and senior level. He won the U-20 World Cup in 2005 and Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games with Argentina’s youth sides, laying the foundation for what was to come with the senior national team. As an adult, he added four more to that tally: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the 2024 Copa America. Those six trophies, combined with his unbeaten record at the Monumental, round out a legacy that stands as the most decorated in Argentine football history.
SIMON JONES: Liverpool have signed 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Genk in a deal that Belgian sources say is worth just under £30million.
Leandro Paredes hinted he could follow Lionel Messi's lead and step away from the Argentina national team, admitting a decision on his future won't be easy. Following the news of Lionel Messi’s retirement from the Argentina national team, Leandro Paredes did not rule out the possibility of stepping away as well, addressing the topic while talking to reporters ahead of Boca Juniors’ Copa Argentina clash with Velez. The Boca Juniors captain was asked directly about his own future with the Albiceleste in the wake of Messi‘s retirement announcement, and he stopped short of confirming he would continue. “It’s going to be difficult to continue, for everything I said back then, for the suspension too, for Leo’s decision. I think that with him no longer there, it’s going to be difficult for everything to keep working the same way. So it will probably be a very difficult decision,” Paredes said. The midfielder is also currently serving part of a 10-match FIFA suspension stemming from the incidents in the World Cup final against Spain. Paredes also opened up on how the team first learned of Messi’s decision, revealing the captain had discussed the possibility privately during the final days of the World Cup. Lionel Messi and Leandro Paredes during the 2026 World Cup. (Getty Images) “He had been honest with us there, when we were in the final days of the World Cup, that the final was probably going to be his last match. We obviously knew, but we weren’t prepared for that,” Paredes continued, adding that Messi’s legacy would endure regardless of what comes next for the rest of the squad. Paredes on the standard Messi’s generation leaves behind Paredes further explained that the bar set by this generation of players makes it hard to imagine matching those same standards going forward, especially without Messi in the squad. “The bar is very high. We left the bar very high, and continuing to compete that way, continuing to achieve important things, is going to be difficult,” Paredes explained. “In this process, we managed to form an incredible group of players and people, and in that group we had our leader, who was Leo. He’s not there anymore, so it’s going to be very difficult. I’ll talk with the coach, we’ll see what decision to make, but it’s going to be difficult“. Whether Paredes ultimately decides to stay or step away, his comments reflect the broader uncertainty now surrounding Argentina’s squad as it heads into a new cycle without Messi. With Scaloni still weighing his own future and several veterans reportedly reconsidering their international careers, the Albiceleste’s next chapter looks set to bring plenty of change in the months ahead.
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