Lionel Messi bids farewell to international soccer on Tuesday when Argentina host Benin in Buenos Aires.
There will be few dry eyes in the house at El Monumental when the great man dons the Albiceleste jersey for the 208th and final time.
Now aged 39, Messi announced at the end of August that he would bow out of the international game, while continuing to play at Inter Miami for now.
An Argentina career packed with highs and lows reached a glorious crescendo in 2022, when Messi inspired his country to World Cup glory in Qatar. He produced more majestic form at the 2026 tournament, with eight goals and four assists before Lionel Scaloni’s men fell 1-0 to Spain in an ill-tempered final.
Such performances put Messi alongside Diego Maradona in the all-time Argentine pantheon and crowned one of the finest international careers of them all.
To mark Messi bowing out, we’ve put together our greatest international XI of all time, with one stipulation: only one player per nation. See what you think; please feel free to disagree furiously.
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SN’s all-time international soccer XI, with one player per team
Goalkeeper: Lev Yashin (USSR)
The only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or, Yashin redefined what was possible in his position, bringing astonishing athleticism to his role. He won Olympic gold in 1956 and inspired the USSR to glory in the inaugural European Championship four years later. Yashin also impressed on his three World Cup appearances across 1958, 1962 and 1966.
Right-back: Philipp Lahm (Germany)
Lahm captained Germany to success at the 2014 World Cup, having burst onto the international scene eight years earlier as the rampaging right-back in a vibrant new-look Mannschaft under Joachim Low. Lahm added further strings to his bow and was an exemplary technician, setting the template for the modern full-back who can step smoothly into midfield.
Left-back: Paolo Maldini (Italy)
Arguably the finest pure defender of all time, Maldini is also in the conversation as the best player never to win a World Cup, coming closest when Italy suffered penalty shootout heartache against Brazil in the 1994 final. A three-time finisher on the Ballon d’Or podium. Maldini enjoyed a richly decorated career as a one-club man with AC Milan.
Centre-back: Bobby Moore (England)
Another inspirational leader in our defensive unit, Moore famously skippered England to their first and still only World Cup win in 1966. He tangled memorably with Pele and the great Brazil side four years later. Moore was an astute defensive organiser and ahead of his time as a cultured playmaker from the back.
Centre-back: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
Alongside Moore’s smooth style, Godin’s warrior qualities would work wonderfully. A heroic centre-back in his prime for Atletico Madrid, he represented La Celeste on a record 161 occasions. Godin featured at four World Cups from 2010 to 2022.
Central midfield: Andres Iniesta (Spain)
Barcelona midfielder Iniesta was the perfect man to score the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, securing Spain’s maiden global triumph. He perfectly exemplified their slick, smart passing style. An artist in the centre of the field, Iniesta might be the greatest pure midfielder of all time.
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Central midfield: Zinedine Zidane (France)
Few players have had such a huge impact on two World Cup finals as Zidane. ‘Zizou’ headed a first-half brace to set France’s 3-0 win over Brazil in 1998 in motion. Then, on his farewell appearance against Italy in the 2006 final, he opened the scoring with an audacious Panenka penalty but was sent off for violently headbutting Marco Materazzi during extra time. But Zidane’s career was about so much more as he combined grace and physicality to an otherworldly degree at Juventus and Real Madrid.
Right-wing: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Much of Messi’s late-era success for Argentina has come in a free-roaming forward role, but let’s put the great man in the position where he thrilled during his Barcelona prime. No one ever did it better.
Attacking midfield: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
The man who inspired the playing model at Barcelona within which Messi thrived, Cryuff was a maverick and visionary – one of a handful of figures who can be credited with truly changing how the game is viewed and played. Four decades on from their previous World Cup appearance, Cruyff excelled as he took the Netherlands to the brink of glory in 1974, where they led in the final but lost 2-1 to hosts West Germany.
Left-wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
The two great men appear to be winding down to sharply contrasting ends to their international careers, with Ronaldo having departed Portugal’s ongoing camp in a huff. But he is worth his place here on the basis of being the all-time record international goalscorer alone. CR7 also captained Portugal to their first major honour at Euro 2016.
Centre-forward: Pele
Okay, so Pele wasn’t an out-and-out striker, but we’re pretty sure he, Cruyff, Ronaldo and Messi can work things out among themselves. A three-time World Cup winner, from being a teen sensation in 1958 to enjoying his finest hour in 1970 with probably the greatest international team ever assembled. The Brazilian icon remains the only player with a viable claim to be considered above Messi in the all-time conversation.
