Messi to play final Argentina match Tuesday vs. Benin

Lionel Messi will play his last game for Argentina on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in a friendly against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The match ends an international career of more than 20 years that included a World Cup title. The 39-year-old will hand over the captain's armband for good. He leaves as Argentina's most-capped player and all-time top scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, plus a national-record 68 assists.aljazeera+1

Kick-off is set for 8 p.m. Buenos Aires time. About 85,000 spectators are expected, along with several teammates from the 2022 World Cup squad that won in Qatar. According to The Rio Times, citing Infobae, tickets sold out in less than two hours.riotimesonline+2

A farewell after a final defeat

The farewell comes two and a half months after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain in a bad-tempered game in New Jersey. Messi made little impact in that match and left the field in tears. When he announced his international retirement in August, he wrote: "I gave it my all. I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance".theherald+1

In mid-September, Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia said the federation had invited Messi to have "the farewell he truly deserves" in Argentina. Tapia also invited all of the 2022 World Cup winners to attend. Angel Di Maria, who retired from international football in 2024, is among the veterans expected to be there.aljazeera+1

Messi will also keep playing for Inter Miami, where his contract runs until 2028. However, after his father, Jorge, died two months ago, he said he may retire sooner than expected.nytimes+1

A new generation steps in

Argentina has already started to look beyond Messi. In its first game since the World Cup final, the team beat Bolivia 4-0 in Cordoba on Sept. 30, with Nico Paz and Jose Manuel Lopez among the scorers. It then beat Burkina Faso 7-0 at the Monumental on Oct. 3, with Franco Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni scoring their first international goals. Messi did not play against Burkina Faso.aljazeera+1

Vice-captain Nicolas Otamendi, 38, will also play his last game for Argentina on Tuesday. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso were called up for the Benin match only, which suggests they may not play for the national team again. Defender Cristian Romero is expected to become captain.theherald+1

Coach Lionel Scaloni, who is negotiating a contract extension, said: "Collectively, we will try to fill the void left by Leo". One question remains open: who will get Messi's No. 10 shirt.aljazeera

"We won't give the number 10 to anyone until Leo's match takes place," Scaloni said. "After that, we'll see".theherald+1