Leo takes the field this Tuesday for his final appearance with the Argentina national team at the Monumental in a friendly against Benin, closing a career that began in 2005 and includes six World Cup participations. During this period he has reached 207 matches and remains the national team’s all‑time leading scorer with 125 goals and 68 assists, while guiding Argentina to the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles, in 2021 and 2024. In total, he has played 34 World Cup matches and scored 21 goals, becoming the player with the most appearances in the history of the tournament.
This match marks the end of the longest cycle for any player in the history of Argentina’s senior team. Leo also reached three World Cup finals: runner‑up in Brazil 2014, champion in Qatar 2022, and once again part of the final match of a World Cup this past summer against Spain.
Regarding the Copa América, Leo has played 39 matches across seven editions, the highest tally since the tournament’s creation, and has scored 14 goals in the competition. He has appeared in five finals —2007, 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2024— lifting the trophy in the two most recent ones, first in Brazil 2021 and then in the United States 2024.
Leo concludes his honours with Argentina with four senior titles: the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Copa América. These are joined by two additional trophies from his early years with the national team: the 2005 U‑20 World Cup and the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
