Messi’s selflessness on show: he hands penalty to Otamendi and ignores personal records
A true captain indeed: Messi chooses team over record again
Lionel Messi on his possible final game for Argentina in home soil, reached another historic milestone scoring his 116th international goal as Argentina cruised to a 5-0 win over Zambia in Buenos Aires.
The goal carried extra significance. Zambia became the 40th different national team Messi has scored against, underlining his remarkable consistency at the highest level.
The friendly at La Bombonera was Argentina’s final home game before they begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup title defence.
Messi struck in the 43rd minute to make it 2-0 before the break. The move was classic Argentina. He played a quick one-two with Alexis Mac Allister before calmly finishing with a low shot past goalkeeper Willard Mwanza.
He had already made his mark earlier in the game, assisting Julian Alvarez for the opening goal in just the 4th minute.
One of the standout moments came in the second half when Argentina were awarded a penalty. Instead of taking it himself, Messi handed the ball to Nicolas Otamendi, allowing the veteran defender to score in what was his final home appearance before retirement.
It was a beautiful moment. Messi could have taken the penalty. He could have added to his tally. He could have gone for another personal record and scored his 903rd goal. But instead, he chose to act like a true captain, something he has shown consistently over the years.
That is exactly why players like Otamendi admire him so much, even having a tattoo of the little man. Otamendi stepped up and converted the penalty, making it an emotional and memorable moment for everyone involved. Besides Messi, Argentina’s goals came from Julián Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi and Valentin Barco, along with an own goal by Dominic Chanda.
The night added more numbers to Messi’s legendary career:
116 international goals
Goals against 40 different countries
902 senior career goals for club and country
Having crossed the 900-goal mark earlier in March with Inter Miami, Messi continues to set new benchmarks even at this stage of his career.
Argentina will now turn their focus to the World Cup, where they open their campaign against Algeria on June 14 in Kansas City.
However, there are growing concerns among fans about their preparation. Argentina’s recent friendlies have mostly been against lower ranked opponents, rather than strong teams that could truly test them before the tournament.
Whether this approach helps build confidence or leaves them underprepared remains to be seen, and it could play a key role in their hopes of defending the World Cup title.
