Overview
- Lionel Messi will make one final Argentina appearance against Benin at the Estadio Monumental on Tuesday, October 6, in a ceremony organised by the AFA to honour his 21‑year international career.
- Argentina used the current friendly window to experiment with new talent and recorded commanding tune‑up wins, beating Bolivia 4‑0 and Burkina Faso 7‑0, before Messi’s return to training in Ezeiza.
- Teammates and staff have delivered emotional tributes this week, with Cristian Romero saying Messi personally chose him as captain and Emiliano Martínez warning that Messi ‘leaves a massive void’ in the squad.
- Coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged that the team will be permanently changed by Messi’s retirement and is negotiating a contract extension while giving younger players match time to ease the leadership transition.
- The farewell has provoked exceptional public demand and coordinated AFA tributes, closing a long arc in which Messi moved from early skepticism to becoming Argentina’s record appearance‑maker and top scorer.