Lionel Messi will bring the curtain down on his glittering Argentina career on Tuesday when he makes his final appearance for the South American champions in a farewell friendly against Benin.
After more than two decades of service to his country, the 39-year-old superstar will relinquish the captain’s armband for good as he takes his final bow in the Albiceleste jersey at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Messi will be joined for his international swansong by 85,000 spectators and several of the teammates with whom he reached the pinnacle of the sport at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as members of Argentina’s emerging generation.
The friendly will mark a symbolic passing of the torch for a player whose international legacy includes a World Cup title, two Copa America crowns and the Finalissima.
Messi also bows out as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, in addition to a record 68 assists.
His farewell comes two and a half months after Argentina’s ill-tempered World Cup final defeat by Spain in New Jersey, where Messi left the pitch in tears after struggling to make an impact.
“I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance,” Messi wrote when announcing his international retirement in August.
Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, although, following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago, he revealed that he could bring his playing career to an end sooner than expected.
Friends reunited
Members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad — the players who delivered the country’s third star — and their families will join Messi for Tuesday’s farewell against Benin, ranked 93rd in the world.
Veterans of the triumph in Doha, including Angel Di Maria, who retired from international football in 2024, will be present to witness the passing of the torch to a new generation tasked with extending Argentina’s golden era.
Several of the newcomers, including Franco Mastantuono and Leonel Flores, were not even born when “La Pulga” (“The Flea”) made his Argentina debut in 2005 for a team whose history had long been dominated by Diego Maradona.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable day for everyone. Everyone wants to be at this match, and now it’s just about enjoying it,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
Argentina’s new generation has already demonstrated what it can do without its captain, although replacing a player regarded by many as the greatest footballer in history will be no easy task.
“Collectively, we will try to fill the void left by Leo,” said Scaloni, who is negotiating a contract extension after leaving his future unresolved following the World Cup defeat in July.
Scaloni, who mastered the art of building the right supporting cast around Messi, will also bid farewell on Tuesday to 38-year-old vice-captain Nicolas Otamendi.
Like Messi and Otamendi, midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso were called up solely for the Benin game, raising the possibility that neither will represent Argentina again.
New generation
Those certain to remain involved, at least from the bench, include other veterans of the 2022 World Cup who will serve as standard-bearers for Argentina after Messi: defender Cristian Romero, midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, and forwards Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
Tenacious centre-back Romero is set to inherit the captain’s armband, which Messi first wore at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Lautaro Martinez are next in the captaincy hierarchy.
They have already begun rallying around Messi’s heirs, who showed their appetite for success in Argentina’s first match since the World Cup final, against Bolivia in Cordoba on Wednesday.
Argentina swept Bolivia aside 4-0, with young talents Nico Paz and Jose Manuel Lopez among the scorers.
They followed that victory with a 7-0 rout of Burkina Faso at the Monumental on Saturday, with Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni scoring their first international goals.
While Argentina’s future is beginning to take shape, one small but symbolically significant question remains: who will inherit Messi’s number 10 shirt?
“We won’t give the number 10 to anyone until Leo’s match takes place,” Scaloni said. “After that, we’ll see.”
AFP
