In his final game at home, an emotional Lionel Messi struggled to hold back tears as he lined up with his teammates for the last time on Argentinian soil on Tuesday. Messi’s Argentina faced Zambia at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires in a friendly, with the former Barcelona star scoring one goal and setting up another. Argentina went on to thrash Zambia 5-0, before beginning the defence of their World Cup crown. Messi, restored to the starting line-up by coach Lionel Scaloni after Argentina’s lacklustre win over Mauritania last Friday, made an instant impact in Tuesday’s friendly at La Bombonera.

The 38-year-old superstar set up the opening goal for Julián Álvarez before bagging his 116th goal for Argentina with an individual strike just before half-time. Tuesday’s game marked a World Cup send-off for the reigning champions, who will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J of the finals in June.

As Messi stood with his teammates on the pitch, the crowd’s songs and chants moved him to tears. In a video that surfaced on social media, the Inter Miami forward could be seen wiping his eyes, realising it was the last time he would play in front of his home fans. Here’s the video: