Lionel Messi will wear Argentina’s famous sky blue-and-white jersey for the final time on Tuesday, as the country prepares to bid an emotional farewell to its greatest footballing idol at Buenos Aires’ iconic Monumental stadium.
Around 85,000 fans are expected to fill the stadium to watch the 39-year-old captain make his final appearance for Argentina in a friendly against Benin, bringing the curtain down on a 21-year international career.
Millions more are expected to follow the occasion on television as Messi, Argentina’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer, takes his final bow for the national team.
The farewell comes two-and-a-half months after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain.
“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 in August when announcing his international retirement.
On Monday, Messi took part in his final training session with the national team at the training complex named after him in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ezeiza.
“You can’t ask for more, that’s it,” Nahuel Nieva, a retail worker who took the day off to watch Messi train, told AFP.
Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028. However, following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago, he said he could bring his club career to an end sooner than expected.
Argentina prepares for life after Messi
Argentina has spared little in preparing a fitting farewell for a player widely regarded as one of the greatest in football history.
Several of the teammates who helped Messi reach the pinnacle of the sport in Qatar and are expected to lead the team into the post-Messi era will feature against Benin. They include defender Cristian “Cuti” Romero, midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, and forwards Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
Romero is expected to inherit the captain’s armband after Messi’s departure.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has acknowledged the challenge of filling the “void” left by his talismanic captain, although the emergence of a new generation has offered encouragement.
Some of Argentina’s young prospects were not even born when Messi made his international debut in 2005.
In their first matches without Messi since the World Cup final, Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 in a friendly in Cordoba last Wednesday before overwhelming Burkina Faso at the Monumental on Saturday.
Franco Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni, two of the country’s brightest young prospects, scored their first international goals in the 7-0 victory over Burkina Faso.
The results have helped ease some of the disappointment surrounding Argentina’s World Cup final defeat, when Spain dominated a visibly fatigued Messi and Argentina adopted a more physical approach that resulted in suspensions and fines for several players.
Who gets Messi’s No. 10?
Messi leaves Argentina as the country’s record appearance-maker, with 207 international matches and 125 goals. He also holds the national record for assists, with 68.
Known affectionately as “La Pulga” (The Flea), Messi secured his place in Argentine football history in 2022 when he led the team to its first World Cup title in 36 years in Qatar, cementing his status as the heir to Diego Maradona.
During his international career, Argentina also won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, the 2008 Olympic gold medal, the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 Finalissima against European champions Italy.
But Messi’s international journey was also marked by painful defeats, including Argentina’s loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, defeat by Spain in this year’s final and the shock loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final.
One question remains: who will inherit Argentina’s coveted No. 10 shirt?
“Until Leo’s game, we won’t give the number 10 to anyone,” Scaloni said. “After that, we’ll see.”
AFP
