Lionel Messi to Make Final Farewell Appearance for Argentina Against Benin

LONDON, Sept 16 — Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is set to make one final farewell appearance for Argentina in an international friendly against Benin on October 6 in Buenos Aires.

The match at the Estadio Monumental will serve as a celebration of Messi’s legendary international career, with all members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad invited to join the occasion.

Argentinian Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia announced the send-off following discussions with national team head coach Lionel Scaloni.

“To all Argentina fans and Argentinians, I want to tell you that after a chat with the national team head coach, Lionel Scaloni, we have taken the decision to invite the best player in the world, emblem of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so he can have the farewell he truly deserves on October 6, here, in Argentina,” Tapia said in a video statement released on Instagram.

Tapia described the tribute as an “unforgettable” event, inviting supporters across the nation to come together and watch “the last tango of the best player in the world.”

Messi, who announced his retirement from international football following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat, has been included in Scaloni’s squad for the upcoming international window. While the team is also scheduled to play friendlies against Bolivia on September 30 and Burkina Faso on October 3, Messi—along with midfielders Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo De Paul—will join the squad specifically for the Benin match.

Messi concludes his international tenure as Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player, having scored 125 goals in 207 appearances since making his senior debut in 2005.

–NMT