Lionel Messi will bring the curtain down on his glittering Argentina career on Tuesday with a farewell friendly against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
After more than two decades of service, the 39 year old superstar will make his final appearance in the Albiceleste jersey, handing over the captain’s armband for good in front of 85,000 spectators.
The friendly, dubbed “The Last Tango,” is scheduled for October 6 at 8 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. ET. It will mark Messi’s 208th and final cap, with tickets selling out in under two hours.
Messi will be joined for his international swansong by several teammates from the 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, including Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso, alongside members of Argentina’s emerging generation. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will be absent after AS Roma declined to release them for sporting and logistical reasons.
The match marks a symbolic passing of the torch for a player whose international legacy includes a World Cup title, two Copa America crowns and the Finalissima. He bows out as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games and a record 68 assists.
His farewell comes two and a half months after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey on July 19, where Messi exited in tears.
“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 on August 31.
Messi, who arrived in Rosario on Friday aboard a private jet from Fort Lauderdale with his family, remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028. He will not feature in Argentina’s other friendlies in this window against Bolivia and Burkina Faso.
Manager Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that defender Cristian Romero, 28, will inherit the captaincy for the 2030 World Cup cycle.
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