{
  "id": 12697219,
  "title": "Messi bids emotional farewell to Argentina, pays tribute to Maradona",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/messi-bids-emotional-farewell-to-argentina-pays-tribute-to-maradona",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-07T19:37:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "3News",
    "slug": "3news",
    "url": "https://3news.com/sports/messi-bids-emotional-farewell-to-argentina-pays-tribute-to-maradona"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Lionel Messi concluded his 21-year international career with Argentina in an emotional farewell match against Benin on October 6, 2026, scoring a penalty and providing two assists in a 3-0 victory. The 39-year-old, who has made 208 appearances for his country, expressed gratitude for his time with the national team, stating that he had made the right decision despite missing the iconic sky-blue and white shirt. Messi also paid tribute to football legend Diego Maradona, acknowledging Maradona's lasting impact on Argentina and the way Maradona guided the nation to new heights during Messi's career.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}