Sportsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Lionel Messi Plays Argentina Farewell Against Benin at Monumental in Buenos Aires
Messi's final Argentina appearance will be a friendly versus Benin at Monumental. He is Argentina's most-capped player and record goalscorer, nearing 208 caps and 125 goals.
Messi farewell in Buenos Aires
Lionel Messi is set to play his last match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, with the match described as his 208th appearance. Lionel Scaloni insisted that if Messi ever wants to carry on, he can, and the coach said there is no embarrassment in changing one's mind.
Messi announced his retirement from the national team on 31 August, six weeks after the World Cup final defeat by Spain, and the BBC said the farewell would be emotional. The contract with Inter Miami runs to the end of the 2028 season, reviewed year by year, and nobody close to him expects him to walk away a day before he has to.
How to watch, and who sits
The Argentina vs. Benin match will be at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, with a start time listed as Tuesday, October 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
AS Roma denied both Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina the chance to travel to Argentina for Messi's farewell, and it quoted the club statement saying, "Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not attend the event being held in Argentina".
Messi announced his retirement from the national team on August 31 in an open letter published on his social media, and it included Messi's message beginning, "After all this time since the final".
Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni called up all the players who played alongside Messi in the 2022 World Cup, while noting that some could not be part of the game.
Benin defender on facing Messi
Benin defender Tijani Mohamed told C5N that there is no need to mark Messi, saying, "you don’t mark Messi. We will just enjoy this match."
Foot Mercato said Argentina's friendly matches have been widely commented on as Messi prepared to bid farewell against Benin, and it quoted Jérôme Rothen reacting on RMC that "When you organize matches like that, it’s pulled by the hair."
Benin's preparation involved a 23-hour flight in economy and hotel issues including "no hot water, sauna out of service, equipment not fully received..."
L'Équipe said Messi will play his last match for Argentina on Tuesday against Benin at the Monumental stadium of River Plate in Buenos Aires, and it described the event as a mega-event with a pre-match show.