Sports
Messi’s last dance with Argentina sparks emotional outpouring
Former and current teammates, along with tearful fans gathered outside Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium, paid emotional tribute to Argentine great Lionel Messi on Tuesday as the country prepared to bid farewell to its captain in his final international appearance.
Brazil star Neymar, Messi’s former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain teammate and longtime friend, said the entire world should be grateful for everything the Argentine has given to football.
“It’s not only Argentina that thanks you, the world thanks you for everything you have done for football,” Neymar wrote on Instagram, hours before Messi was due to play his 208th and final match for Argentina against Benin.
“Thank you for making me love football even more. It was an honor for me to have played against you and even more so to make history alongside you.”
For Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s close friend and Argentina teammate who also plays alongside him at Inter Miami, Messi’s impact extends far beyond the football field.
“He made me grow not only as a footballer, but also as a person. I became a better person, a better human being, a better athlete, a better father and a better friend,” De Paul said in a farewell message released Tuesday.
“I want to tell him that I love him. He knows that he is my brother and that he has an enormous heart.”
Former Argentina teammate Angel Di Maria said it was a day nobody had wanted to come.
“Seeing him with so much happiness, and that tranquility of knowing that he gave everything he had, is what makes us all happy,” Di Maria said. “It will be a very special day for everyone. I thank him for life.”
Fans say goodbye
In Buenos Aires, fans flocking to the Monumental Stadium for Argentina’s friendly against Benin expressed a mixture of gratitude and sadness.
“I cried because I was able to come and see Messi in his last game, and also because of the sadness of knowing that he won’t be here anymore,” 19-year-old Jose Garracedo told Reuters TV.
“He fought for this shirt … everything that was demanded of him. He knew how to stay the course, enjoy it and keep saying that he was going to fight for this.”
For Isaias Zenas, a 27-year-old medical student, Messi’s importance extended beyond football.
“The last joys we have had as an Argentine people, we owe to him,” he said. “All the cups he brought us, with the country in a bad economic situation, people who are struggling have their refuge in football. How could we not come here at this moment to say goodbye to him?”
Messi, who helped Argentina win the World Cup and two Copa America titles, entered the game with a national-record 125 goals and 68 assists for his country.
Before the final goodbye, he offered a simple message of his own.
“I leave in peace. I gave everything.”
Lionel Messi’s final match for Argentina ended the only way many believed it should: with a goal, two assists and a stadium full of tears.
The 39-year-old captain signed off from international football Tuesday night by inspiring Argentina to a 3-0 friendly victory over Benin at a sold-out Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, bringing down the curtain on a remarkable 21-year national team career that transformed him from a misunderstood prodigy into one of the country’s most beloved figures.
Messi, making his 208th and final appearance for Argentina, created the opening two goals before converting a second-half penalty for his 126th international goal, extending records he already held as the nation’s all-time leader in appearances and scoring.
Yet the result mattered little.
What unfolded under the lights in Buenos Aires was a farewell to a player who became far more than a football icon in Argentina, a nation where sporting triumphs often provide moments of collective joy amid decades of economic and political turbulence.
“It feels like an era is ending,” said 17-year-old fan Valentino Ruso before kickoff. “Everyone is sad today. He will be missed.”
Messi’s departure marks the end of one of football’s most complicated and ultimately rewarding relationships.
The shy teenager who left Rosario for Barcelona’s academy at 13 was long viewed with suspicion by some compatriots who felt he lacked the emotional connection embodied by Diego Maradona.
While Messi conquered club football and became a global superstar, critics questioned whether the quiet forward who spent most of his life abroad truly represented Argentina.
Those doubts persisted through years of heartbreak, including defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and consecutive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016. After the latter loss, Messi briefly retired from international football.
Everything changed in 2021.
Argentina’s Copa America triumph over Brazil ended a 28-year trophy drought and redefined Messi’s standing at home. The World Cup victory in Qatar the following year completed the transformation, elevating him into the pantheon of Argentina’s greatest sporting figures.
“Winning disarmed his critics,” sports sociologist Diego Murzi said. “That’s how football works in Argentina.”
Messi leaves behind a glittering international resume: a World Cup title in 2022, Copa America crowns in 2021 and 2024, six World Cup appearances, 21 World Cup goals and more than two decades carrying the expectations of an entire nation.
The Argentine Football Association turned Tuesday’s match into a national celebration dubbed “The Last Tango.” More than 85,000 fans packed the Monumental, while former players from Argentina’s World Cup-winning teams of 1978, 1986 and 2022 returned to honor the captain.
Messi delivered one final masterclass.
After a scoreless first half, his corner kick led to Nicolas Otamendi’s header shortly after the break. He then set up Nico Paz for Argentina’s second goal before calmly blasting a penalty into the top corner in the 70th minute after Agustin Giay was fouled.
As chants of “Messi, Messi” echoed around the stadium, teammates gathered around their captain after the final whistle. Banners hailed him as the “Eternal Captain,” while thousands remained in their seats simply to watch him take one last lap of honor.
“The saddest day of my career has arrived,” Messi told supporters. “Playing for the Argentina national team is the most wonderful thing that can happen to you. I’m proud to be Argentine and grateful for every moment we shared.”
Messi also paid tribute to his father, Jorge Messi, who died in August at age 68 after an illness. His father had guided his career for decades as both adviser and agent.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni struggled to contain his emotions.
“I never imagined I would coach the best player in history,” Scaloni said. “He leaves us an incredible legacy. Having him on your side was incomparable.”
Tributes poured in from around the football world, including from Brazil star and former Barcelona teammate Neymar.
“It’s not just Argentina that thanks you,” Neymar wrote on social media. “The world thanks you for everything you did for football.”
Messi’s playing career is not over. He remains under contract with Inter Miami through the 2028 MLS season.
But for Argentina, something irreplaceable has ended.
For more than two decades, fans entered every match believing that anything was possible because Messi was on the field. That feeling, as much as the goals and trophies, is what the country will miss most.
Late Tuesday night, after the celebrations had faded and the stadium lights dimmed, Messi paused at the tunnel entrance, raised his arms toward the crowd one final time and disappeared into football history.
Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic on Monday after hitting a spectator with a ball in an incident he described as an accident.
The spectator was escorted from the arena with a hand covering his left eye after being struck by Medvedev’s backhand.
“I feel terribly sorry for him actually and I just hope he’s OK,” Medvedev said. “Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow.”
The incident occurred with Djokovic serving for the match at 7-5, 5-3. After Djokovic hit a forehand volley winner, the ball bounced off the advertising boards and back toward Medvedev. The Russian then struck a backhand that sailed into the front row and hit the spectator.
Medvedev immediately appeared to raise his left hand in apology but remained on the court.
“It was 100% an accident,” Medvedev said. “You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger. The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere, so it wouldn’t go out of the court.”
“When I saw the result, I felt horrible,” Medvedev said. “The most important thing is I hope that he’s OK because you never know with these types of situations.”
The chair umpire and tournament supervisor came onto the court to talk with Medvedev, who didn’t appear to put up much of an argument over the disqualification. Medvedev then walked to the net and shook hands with Djokovic.
The incident was reminiscent of when Djokovic was defaulted from the 2020 U.S. Open for hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball. That was also accidental.
“A bit of a shock, to be honest,” Djokovic said. “I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. … I am sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens.”
Medvedev has a history of on-court behavior issues. In April, he was fined 6,000 euros ($7,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct after smashing his racket seven times during a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Djokovic extended his perfect career record at the China Open to 33-0.
Aiming for a seventh China Open title in Tuesday’s final, Djokovic will face ninth-ranked Alex de Minaur, who advanced when Hubert Hurkacz retired because of an apparent injury midway through the second set of their semifinal.
It will be Djokovic’s second final of the year after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.
With his ranking down to No. 11, this is the first time in eight years that Djokovic is playing a tournament without being in the top 10. It’s also his first tournament since a first-round exit from the U.S. Open. The 39-year-old Serb rallied to beat top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals Sunday.
Against Medvedev, Djokovic was twice caught exceeding the time limit on the serve clock. After first receiving a warning, he was then stripped of his first serve on a crucial break point midway through the second set. But Djokovic still won the point.
Medvedev won only two of 18 break points as the pair of former No. 1s traded one grueling rally after another.
“It was a tough match for me,” Medvedev said. “He played really well. I felt he played like when we played our best matches. I had some opportunities, which I missed. He played incredibly, so I think he has big chances in the final.”
The match was 2 1/2 hours old when Medvedev was defaulted.
“I was three points away from the win,” Djokovic said. “It’s always a big battle with Daniil and it’s so hard to play him when he’s feeling the ball well in slower conditions with a big serve. But we move on.”
De Minaur led 6-4, 3-2 when Hurkacz, who was barely able to run for balls in the second set, stopped playing. The nature of Hurkacz’s injury was not immediately clear.
In the third round of the women’s tournament, which ends Sunday, Coco Gauff eliminated 16-year-old Chinese wild card Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1. Sun recently won the U.S. Open junior title.
Also, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek rallied past Donna Vekic 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2 and will next meet Iva Jovic, who beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 7-5.
Elina Svitolina beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5.
Türkiye Wrestling Federation President Taha Akgül says the country’s wrestling program is undergoing a long-term rebuild, with as much as 70% of the federation’s budget being directed toward developing young athletes and creating a new generation of wrestlers.
Akgül spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) in Erzurum, where he traveled to follow the national team’s preparations at a training camp on Mount Palandöken ahead of the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships.
The Olympic champion said Türkiye needed to take the difficult step of investing heavily in an area where the results may not be immediately visible.
“We needed a new generation, a new period of sowing. We had the courage to do it and we started,” Akgül said. “It is not easy to start this because you are actually investing in an area that is not visible. It is similar to the investments municipalities make in youth development. They are not always seen.”
Akgül said the federation has committed a significant portion of its financial resources to youth development, with roughly 60% to 70% of its budget now being used for grassroots programs.
He said the federation’s staff are focused on expanding opportunities for young wrestlers and rebuilding the enthusiasm of athletes and their families.
“We are constantly thinking about what more we can do for the grassroots,” Akgül said. “For two years, we have been on the right path. We have restored the energy that the children and their families had lost.”
The federation has expanded competitions and development programs across Türkiye, including events and projects stretching from Hakkari in the east to Ankara.
Akgül said the federation intends to increase the number of such initiatives while using its available resources to improve the quality and reach of its programs.
Building the next generation
Akgül described the past two years as a period of planting seeds for the future of Turkish wrestling, acknowledging that the federation will have to endure the difficult part of the process before the benefits become fully visible.
“We have been in a serious period of sowing for two years,” he said. “Unfortunately, we will have to endure the hardship of this period. Whether we are here in the future or not, wrestling will win.”
He said the long-term success of Turkish wrestling matters more than the legacy of individual administrators or athletes.
“If we want Turkish wrestling to have a good future, we have to go through this period and endure the difficulties,” Akgül said. “We have the strength to shoulder this.”
The federation has also sought to increase participation at national championships, creating a broader pool from which promising athletes can be identified.
Akgül said nearly 10,000 wrestlers competed at this year’s Türkiye Championships, describing the figure as a major achievement for a sport practiced across all 81 provinces.
Managing an event of that scale presents logistical challenges, but Akgül said the federation is also trying to ensure athletes receive meaningful support, including competition gear with the help of sponsors.
The goal, he said, is not simply to produce elite wrestlers but to keep young athletes engaged with the sport long enough for their potential to emerge.
“We select talents according to different age groups,” Akgül said. “Those we identify are sent to wrestling education centers. They did not have development camps because it was not considered necessary to organize camps for those age groups. We believe it is necessary.”
850 youngsters in camps
The federation has already brought 850 young athletes together through camps held in 15 different cities, giving them opportunities to experience different parts of Türkiye while strengthening their connection with wrestling.
For some, the camps offered experiences beyond sport, including visiting Çanakkale and swimming in the sea for the first time.
Akgül said the broader social impact of wrestling should not be measured only by the number of future champions it produces.
“Maybe many of these children will not become champions, but they could become very good architects, lawyers, bureaucrats, governors or statesmen,” he said. “All of them will say, ‘We were wrestlers.’”
That, Akgül said, is another measure of the sport’s value.
“If we produce 10 top-level athletes out of 10,000, we can say that Turkish wrestling has been saved,” he said.
Olympic test
While the federation is investing in the future, Akgül said its immediate focus is the 2026 World Championships and the longer-term goal of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We are always focused on the Olympics,” he said. “We have entered the Olympic atmosphere completely.”
The national team is preparing in the relative isolation of Erzurum, where Akgül believes the quiet surroundings, climate and natural environment provide ideal conditions for an intense training camp.
The 2026 World Championships will serve as an important test for a team undergoing significant generational change.
“We know it will be difficult, but we are in a renewal process,” Akgül said. “Hopefully, we will have a good championship.”
Türkiye’s wrestling program has traditionally been one of the country’s strongest sources of Olympic medals. At the most recent Olympics, wrestling produced two medals for Türkiye, and Akgül expects the sport to remain one of the country’s leading medal hopes.
The federation president has also remained closely involved with the athletes on the mat, training alongside the Olympic team after recently ending his own competitive career.
“I train one-on-one with my Olympic team,” Akgül said. “I have just retired from wrestling, so my performance has not dropped yet. We are there with the children on the field.”
For Akgül, the rebuilding process is ultimately about ensuring the next generation inherits a stronger wrestling system than the one it entered.
“We are on the right path,” he said. “Turkish wrestling will become even better. Our people should pray for us.”
Carlos Alcaraz overcame another sluggish start Tuesday to defeat Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the Japan Open final, successfully defending his Tokyo title and adding another milestone to his return from a lengthy wrist injury layoff.
The victory gave the third-ranked Spaniard his third title of the season and his 27th career trophy. It also marked his first championship since winning the Qatar Open in February and strengthened his comeback just two tournaments after returning to competition.
Alcaraz, 23, became the first man to win consecutive Japan Open titles since American Pete Sampras in 1993 and 1994.
“It’s been a while and obviously it’s extra special after my injury and my comeback, in the second tournament that I’m playing,” Alcaraz said. “It was a really tough week and I didn’t play my best tennis and my best level, but I did find good solutions and that’s what matters in the end.”
The final followed a familiar pattern for Alcaraz in Tokyo. He dropped serve in the opening game but quickly settled, increasing the pace and intensity of his game before breaking Lehecka with a blistering backhand to level the first set at 3-3.
Lehecka, ranked 19th in the world, remained competitive and took a 4-2 lead in the tiebreaker. But Alcaraz responded by winning five consecutive points, producing some of his best tennis of the match when the pressure was highest.
He dug out a difficult ball at his feet after a net cord from Lehecka, hammered a powerful forehand return and then produced a perfectly timed forehand drop shot for a winner. Two backhand errors from Lehecka handed Alcaraz the set.
The Spaniard carried that momentum into the second set and finally created separation when he broke Lehecka for a 4-3 lead. He then closed out the championship at love on his first opportunity, forcing an error on match point before celebrating with his team courtside.
“I would say today was the best match of the week,” Alcaraz said.
That assessment came after a tournament in which he often had to find ways to win without producing his best tennis. In his semifinal against qualifier Jaume Munar, Alcaraz dropped the opening set during a stretch in which he lost 16 consecutive points.
Lehecka arrived at the final in strong form, having won six straight matches. The Czech had helped his country defeat the United States in Davis Cup qualifying, winning both of his singles matches, before advancing through his first four matches in Tokyo.
But Alcaraz proved too difficult to overcome when the key points arrived.
The title also provided a significant psychological boost after a difficult period away from the sport. Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon while recovering from a right wrist injury that kept him out for nearly five months. He returned at the U.S. Open in late August and reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Ben Shelton in a match that finished at 3:33 a.m.
Since returning, Alcaraz has continued to wear a compression sleeve on his right arm, but his latest title offered further evidence that his confidence and physical condition are returning.
He acknowledged that the injury layoff brought plenty of uncertainty.
“A lot of negative thoughts come to your mind,” Alcaraz said. “If you’re going to come back healthy, if you’re going to come back the same as you were before, if I will be able to hit the ball normally without pain.”
Alcaraz said he and his team focused on putting those doubts aside and trusting his recovery.
“My team and I knew that if I come back, I’m going to be healthy 100%. If I feel something, it’s not going to be anything at all. So I have to go full to every shot, every ball,” he said. “I trusted myself and it worked out.”
Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Türkiye midfielder Arda Güler on a contract extension that will keep him at the Spanish giants until 2031, local media reported Monday.
The 21-year-old, whose current contract runs until 2029, has agreed to a two-year extension until 2031, according to Madrid-based sports daily AS; it will be his first contract renewal since joining Real Madrid.
The extension would keep Güler at Real Madrid for at least another five years.
The new agreement also includes a salary increase reflecting Güler’s growing importance in the team, the report said.
Following the reports, German football database website Transfermarkt updated Güler’s current market value to €100 million ($112 million) from €90 million ($100.8 million).
Güler has started five matches so far this season under Jose Mourinho.
The Türkiye international also played an important role last season, making 40 starts and finishing the campaign with six goals and a team-high 14 assists.
Güler joined Real Madrid from Turkish club Fenerbahce in 2023 and is now in his fourth season with the Spanish side.
AS said Real Madrid view Güler as an important player for both the present and future, with coaches who have worked with him during his time at the club highlighting his quality and potential for further development.
Mourinho also praised the Turkish international’s influence on the team.
“For me, his playing quality is incredible: the vision, the decision-making, the organization of play, the stability he gives the team, the creation,” he said.
“He is a player with fantastic potential who already has very interesting numbers, and they are not only assists and goals. They come from a deeper analysis. He’s a young man who has a great influence.”
Türkiye suffered their fourth consecutive UEFA Nations League defeat Monday as Italy claimed a 3-1 victory in Bologna, leaving the Crescent-Stars rooted to the bottom of Group 1 without a point.
Goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Pio Esposito secured the victory for Italy at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, while Aral Şimşir scored Türkiye’s lone goal.
Italy started brightly, with Scamacca firing narrowly wide in the 11th minute, but Türkiye soon began creating chances of their own.
Irfan Can Kahveci threatened after breaking onto a through ball before losing control, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action to deny Ozan Kabak and Salih Özcan.
Italy broke the deadlock in the 26th minute when Antonio Vergara’s deflected cross fell to Scamacca, who fired in off the underside of the crossbar.
Türkiye continued to push and were rewarded in the 61st minute. A deflection off Eren Elmalı sent the ball into the path of Şimşir, who converted from close range to level the score.
The hosts responded almost immediately.
Nicolo Barella’s free kick found Calafiori, whose header beat Uğurcan Çakır in the 65th minute to restore Italy’s advantage.
Türkiye came close to another equalizer in the 77th minute when Yunus Akgün picked out Özcan, but Donnarumma produced a strong save to preserve Italy’s lead.
Esposito then put the result beyond doubt late on, converting from inside the penalty area to make it 3-1.
The victory continued Italy’s improved run under returning coach Roberto Mancini and strengthened their bid for a Nations League quarterfinal place.
Türkiye, meanwhile, remain without a point after four matches and sit bottom of the group following their fourth straight defeat.
Italy moved to seven points in second place after recording their second victory in three matches.
Türkiye will host Belgium on Nov. 12, while Italy welcome France on the same day.
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