Emotion, tears as Messi retires from national team

BUENOS AIRES — Lionel Messi brought the curtain down on his 21-year international career on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), bidding farewell to adoring Argentina fans in an emotional final appearance for the former world champions in Buenos Aires. In a perfectly scripted finale, the 39-year-old widely regarded as the greatest football player in history signed off with his 126th international goal in front of 85,000 supporters as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory over Benin. Messi, playing in his record-extending 208th international, also provided the assist for the opening goal scored by veteran Nicolas Otamendi, with Nico Paz also scoring. But the match was a footnote to the occasion itself, which saw Messi savoring the adulation of the Monumental Stadium crowd one last time for an event which had been billed as “The Last Tango.” “It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years,” Messi told fans in a post-match address. “Not coming anymore 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 though said he had no regrets about...