Lionel Messi described his retirement from international football as the “saddest day of my career” after playing his final game for Argentina in a 3-0 defeat of Benin.

Messi, who scored and provided two assists in the victory at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, took to the field after the win to express gratitude to fans and teammates as he reflected on his 21-year career with Argentina.

“It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years,” Messi told the stadium “Even in the worst moments we went through and that I had, I never stopped fighting, never stopped being here.

“Not coming any more is going to be deeply painful. I swear I’d like to play for the rest of my life, because playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”

Messi said that returning to the Monumental – where Argentina played their first game after winning the 2022 World Cup – was bittersweet. “Now I’m here on the saddest day of my career, which is the day I have to say goodbye to the national team, goodbye to all of you. But now I’ll be on that side [with the fans], supporting all the boys, everyone who comes in. Always united.”

Messi said that despite the sadness, he had no regrets about the timing of his international exit, citing the exertions of Argentina’s campaign at this year’s World Cup, where they battled through to the final only to lose to Spain.

He said the emotional rollercoaster of that tournament – which included a 2-1 defeat of Argentina’s bitter rivals England in the semi-final – had taken a toll. “Even though I want to be here all my life, I feel that this is the moment. The last World Cup was too much, everything I had to live through.

“We had the dream of fulfilling my dream and the dream of the whole country, of becoming world champions again. In the last World Cup we were very close, and the reality is that nothing strange happened, as people say. The match against England took a huge toll on us physically, and emotionally it was very big.

“We arrived with just enough, we fought like we always did with this jersey, with all the teammates I got to be with and share things with, not only them but also those who were around in the time when we managed to win. We were very close.”