Fernando Véjar blew the final whistle and didn’t head straight to the locker room.
The Chilean referee, who officiated Argentina’s 3-0 win over Benin at the Monumental, approached Messi in the captain’s last match for the national team. According to Diario El Norte, the match ended with a Messi free kick that went over the crossbar; afterward, they approached each other, exchanged a few words, and Véjar took out the cards he had used that night to give them to him. Some media outlets, such as Emol, report that he also handed him the ball. It all happened as Benin’s players ran over to shake hands with the No. 10.
It was already a momentous night: Messi provided two assists, scored a penalty in the 71st minute, and retired from the national team with 126 goals in 208 matches. But the gift’s ending took a twist. According to Diario Olé, the cards didn’t end up in Messi’s bag, but in the hands of singer Soledad Pastorutti, who took part in the tribute.