Lionel Messi bids farewell in friendly match against Benin

Lionel Messi, the legendary captain of the Argentina national team, will officially bid farewell to the national team on October 6, 2023, in a friendly match against Benin. This game marks his last appearance on the international stage following his retirement announcement last month.

Details of Messi's Farewell

The 39-year-old Messi announced in August that he was retiring from international football after two decades of service with the Argentina national team. During this time, he achieved victory in the 2022 World Cup and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, said: "We decided to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, and our captain, Lionel Andrés Messi, to have a worthy farewell on October 6 in Argentina."

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Venue and Match Details

This match will be held at the Estadio Monumental River Plate in Buenos Aires, which has a capacity of 85,000 spectators. Messi will appear in this game as his 208th player for the national team and is Argentina's all-time leading scorer with 125 goals.

Argentina will face Bolivia on September 30 prior to this friendly match. This will be their first game after losing in the World Cup final against Spain. Additionally, Argentina will play Burkina Faso on October 3.

Following the death of his father, Jorge, last month, Messi has stated that he has "serious doubts" about continuing football, and this decision has been very painful for him. He said: "This was a decision that broke my heart, but I understand that the time is right."

Messi's contract with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer will continue until the end of the 2028 season.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has instructed Argentina to hold their next home game at 50% capacity. This action is due to violations of FIFA's disciplinary rules regarding the use of a sporting event to display non-sporting protests. After Argentina's victory in the World Cup semifinals against England, several players held a banner stating, "The Malvinas Islands belong to Argentina."

These friendly matches will also count as part of the penalties and suspensions resulting from incidents following Argentina's defeat in the World Cup final against Spain. Leonardo Paredes, the team's midfielder, has been suspended for 10 games, while defender Nahuel Molina has been suspended for 7 games and Thiago Almada for 1 game.

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