Referee gives Lionel Messi bizarre gift after final Argentina match

Lionel Messi has scooped a countless number of accolades and prizes across his illustrious two-decade long career at the top – but what he received after his final match for Argentina had fans scratching their heads.

It was a highly emotional night in Buenos Aires as Messi bid farewell to his adoring Argentine supporters after making his record-extending 208th appearance for his country against Benin.

The 39-year-old forward announced in late August that his time with the national team was drawing to a close in the wake of the side’s painful World Cup final defeat at the hands of Spain.

In the hours leading up to kick-off, Messi was pictured wiping the tears away as the team coach made its way through the feverous crowd outside River Plate’s Estadio Monumental.

Messi was joined by his loved ones inside the stadium and there were unforgettable scenes as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner hammered home an emphatic penalty to put the hosts 3-0 up in the 71st minute.

Earlier goals from Nicolas Otamendi and Nico Paz had given Argentina a healthy lead in Tuesday’s one-sided friendly – but the scoreline mattered little as Messi soaked up the experience after the whistle.

Even Messi’s team-mates struggled to stop the waterworks, with Enzo Fernandez experiencing something close to grief as the great man delivered a heartfelt goodbye speech to the sell-out 85,000-strong crowd from the centre circle.

There was one moment that caught viewers a little off guard, however, as Chilean referee Fernando Vejar approached Messi at full-time before reaching for his pocket.

After shaking hands, Vejar gave Messi a wink and proceeded to gift the veteran attacker his yellow and red cards from the match.

The look on the face of Saturnin Allagbe, who watched the exchange play out, was a picture, with the Benin goalkeeper seemingly as confused as the rest of us quite why Messi would feel any emotional attachment to the two rectangular pieces of plastic in question.

A few moments later, Argentine folk singer Soledad Pastorutti – who performed after the match – was seen excitedly clutching the cards, so it appeared Messi wasn’t overly enamoured with the present he had been given.

During his speech, Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, said he was at ‘peace’ with his decision to call it quits.

‘I have nothing left to do but thank this shirt,’ he told fans while fighting back the tears.

‘For 20 years, even through the worst moments, I never stopped fighting, pushing forward, giving everything I had and wanting to be here.

‘Not coming here anymore and no longer being with the Argentina national team is going to hurt a lot.

‘If it were up to me, I would love to be here for my entire life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing there is.

“I think I’m talking more than ever today because I simply don’t want this moment to end. But I think the time has come for me to retire. The last World Cup took a lot out of us after everything we went through.

‘We arrived in the final with just enough left in us, but we fought until the very end, like we always did.

‘We came very close to winning it again, and despite everything that was said about us, nothing strange happened. The match against England took a lot out of us because we gave absolutely everything.

‘In 2022, we had the dream of fulfilling not only my dream, but the dream of an entire country: becoming world champions again. And we did it.

‘We won the World Cup, the Copa America, the Finalissima… I’m incredibly grateful for everything I experienced with this national team.

‘But this journey wasn’t only about 2022 or this last World Cup. So many team-mates fought alongside me for this shirt long before we finally became world champions.

‘Never doubt how much every one of them fought and gave for Argentina.’

Messi later paid tribute to his father Jorge, who died back in August following a long illness.

‘There are so many emotions going through me right now,’ he continued.

‘I’m surely forgetting many things I would like to say because this is a very difficult moment for me.

‘The first person who comes to my mind is my dad.

‘I’m going to miss playing here so much. I love you all, and I’m proud to be Argentine.

‘I leave grateful, proud and at peace. Thank you for everything.’

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