According to coach Lionel Scaloni, Messi will be given the chance to conclude his international career against Benin in his own home city. The October 6 friendly at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental is being handled as a special day for the eight time Ballon d’or winner, who announced his retirement from international football at the end of August at the age of 39, Scaloni confirmed.
Argentina’s coach acknowledged that emotion will be hard to manage when Messi will be playing what is likely to be his last game for Argentina. Argentina coach and World Cup-winning manager Scalon said he wanted to give Messi the chance to say his final farewells to the fans who have cheered on his international career.
The saying goodbye follows Argentina’s runner-up finish at the 2026 World Cup, held in Australia and South Africa, to Spain. Messi has also been going strong at club level, netting his 100th goal for Inter Miami in the process.
Scaloni went further when talking about this year’s Ballon d’Or race, saying Messi was worthy of an award if the trophy was awarded on the basis of who the best player was.
Argentina will kick off their next series of friendly games in Cordoba against Bolivia on Sept. 30 before taking on Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on Oct. 3. Messi is likely to be included in the squad for the final game against Benin. The match will be played at the Estadio Monumental with seating capacity of approximately 85,000 people, creating a big celebration for the end of the career of the renowned legend.
Scaloni, meanwhile, wasn’t saying much about his own prospects with Argentina. He said he hadn’t seen any new developments or talks with Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia since the beginning of the year when he signed the contract.
