Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina’s squad for an October 6th friendly against Benin, which will mark his farewell appearance following his international retirement announced last month.
The 39-year-old icon revealed in August that he would step away from the national team after a remarkable two-decade career, highlighted by triumphs at the 2022 World Cup and the Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.
“We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on October 6 here in Argentina, said Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia.
The match will be held at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, and Tapia has also extended invitations to all of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to join Messi for the celebration.
Argentina will kick off a series of three friendlies against Bolivia on September 30th in Cordoba—their first outing since losing the World Cup final to Spain—before facing Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3rd.
Messi is included in the squad for the third match against Benin, where he is expected to make his 208th and final appearance for the Albiceleste. He retires as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, with 125 goals.
Last month, FIFA ordered Argentina to play their next home match with stadium capacity reduced to 50 percent, citing breaches of its disciplinary code after players displayed a banner reading “The Falklands are Argentine” following their World Cup semi-final victory over England in July.
These upcoming friendlies will also serve as the stage for suspensions resulting from post-match incidents after Argentina’s World Cup final loss to Spain. Midfielder Leandro Paredes will serve a 10-match ban, defender Nahuel Molina is suspended for seven games, and Thiago Almada for one.
