Lionel Messi Set For Final Argentina Appearance After Retirement, Monumental Farewell Confirmed

Lionel Messi is set to wear the Argentina shirt for one final time when the World Cup-winning captain features in a farewell friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6.

Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31, bringing an illustrious Argentina career to an end. The Inter Miami star had been the subject of speculation over his international future, with the 2028 Copa America previously considered a possible swansong.

However, Messi will make one final appearance for the Albiceleste after coach Lionel Scaloni included him in Argentina’s preliminary 26-member squad for the friendly against Benin.

Argentina are scheduled to play three friendlies at home, beginning with Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30. They will then face Burkina Faso at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on October 3, before returning to the same venue three days later for Messi’s farewell game against Benin.

The Argentina Football Association (AFA) confirmed that Messi will play only in the match against the West African side. Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo De Paul, members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad, will also feature in the farewell plans.

The AFA said the entire squad that won the World Cup in Qatar four years ago would be invited to attend the match against Benin.

“We would like to announce that, following a discussion with national team coach, Lionel Scaloni, we have decided to invite the world’s best player, the icon of our national team, our captain Lionel Messi, so that he can receive the send-off he truly deserves on 6 October here in Argentina,” the AFA said in a statement.

The association added that, after receiving Messi’s acceptance, all the World Cup winners who played alongside him in Qatar would be invited, along with their families, for what it described as a special farewell for Argentina supporters.

The Benin friendly will mark Messi’s 208th appearance for Argentina. He will also have the opportunity to add to his tally of 125 international goals before bringing his record-breaking international career to a close.