Lionel Messi's Argentina farewell lands with current form behind it. He has 8 goals and 4 assists in 8 World Cup appearances, and the memory that hangs over his only meeting with Italy is a very different one, a 90-minute display at Wembley in the 2022 Finalissima.
The Wembley night against Italy
The Finalissima was played on 1 June 2022, and Argentina won 3-0. Messi started with the captain's armband at 34 years old and played all 90 minutes.
Sky Sport Italia described how he made his mark early, getting past Di Lorenzo on the left and sending in the ball that Lautaro Martínez turned into the opener. Their feature desk also noted that Messi's only match against Italy became a starring role, with UEFA naming him player of the match after he contributed to two of Argentina's three goals.
What the numbers say about the farewell
The farewell is not being framed by nostalgia alone. Messi's 8 goals, 4 assists and 8 appearances in the World Cup show that he arrives with production still attached to the occasion, not just reputation.
Argentina's own tournament form is strong too, with 3 wins from 3 matches, 8 goals scored and 1 conceded. That is the backdrop around the goodbye, but the Italy meeting still stands out because it came in a one-off final at Wembley and ended with Messi on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.
Roberto Mancini was on the other side that night, and Argentina used the occasion to control the game from early on. If this really is the closing chapter, the Italy match is the cleaner snapshot of how Messi could still dictate a final on a big stage.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
