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Lionel Messi to Play Last Argentina Match in October Friendly
Confirmed
In Short: Messi will bid farewell to international football in a friendly against Benin.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) president, Claudio Tapia, stated, "We invited 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 6 October here in Argentina." The match will be played at the Estadio Monumental, which has an 85,000 capacity, and will feature the 2022 World Cup winners alongside Messi.
Argentina will play friendly matches against Bolivia on September 30th in Cordoba and against Burkina Faso on October 3rd in Buenos Aires. These matches will help serve the FIFA sanctions imposed on Argentina for breaches of the disciplinary code during the World Cup, with the Benin game scheduled to be the final match. Several Argentina players, including Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, will be suspended for the upcoming matches due to post-game altercations.
The 39-year-old Messi, who captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup victory, will be honored with a farewell celebration. The team will also include other 2022 World Cup winners, such as Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso, in the squad for the final friendly match. The list of players called up from the domestic league will be announced on Friday.
What's confirmed
- The Argentine Football Association (AFA) president, Claudio Tapia, stated, "We invited 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 6 October here in Argentina." The match will be played at the Estadio Monumental, which has an 85,000 capacity, and will feature the 2022 World Cup winners alongside Messi.
- Argentina will play friendly matches against Bolivia on September 30th in Cordoba and against Burkina Faso on October 3rd in Buenos Aires. These matches will help serve the FIFA sanctions imposed on Argentina for breaches of the disciplinary code during the World Cup, with the Benin game scheduled to be the final match. Several Argentina players, including Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, will be suspended for the upcoming matches due to post-game altercations.
- The 39-year-old Messi, who captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup victory, will be honored with a farewell celebration. The team will also include other 2022 World Cup winners, such as Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso, in the squad for the final friendly match. The list of players called up from the domestic league will be announced on Friday.
What's still developing
- Messi announced his retirement from Argentina duty in August in the wake of his country's defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final and after saying he was considering his future in football following the death of his father, Jorge.
- Messi retires from Argentina duty with 'nothing left to give' Messi unsure he will play 'much longer' after father's death Argentina were ordered to play their next two home matches with 50% capacity, although one match of that sanction was suspended, for breaches of the Fifa disciplinary code during the World Cup.
- The 39-year-old, who captained Argentina when they won the 2022 World Cup, said the decision to stop playing for La Albiceleste hurt him "deeply" but that he had "given it my all" and had "nothing left to give".
- Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who currently plays for Inter Miami, is Argentina's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, having scored 125 goals in 207 appearances.
- After defeating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final, several Argentina players held up a banner claiming Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory.
- Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes and team-mate Nahuel Molina are not expected to be available as they were given respective 10-game and seven-match suspensions for their part in on-field clashes following their country's defeat by Spain in the World Cup final.
- Messi is also expected to see the field Wednesday, when Inter Miami face Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup final at Miami's Nu Stadium.