Lionel Messi is set to receive a farewell from the Argentina national team when the world champions face Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6.
The 39-year-old forward announced in August that he would retire from international football after a two-decade career that saw him win the 2022 FIFA World Cup and two Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.
President of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, confirmed that Messi had been invited for the farewell fixture at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental.
“We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on October 6 here in Argentina,” Tapia said.
Tapia also invited members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to attend the occasion.
Messi has been named in Argentina’s squad for the match against Benin, which is expected to be his 208th and final appearance for the national team. He currently holds Argentina’s all-time scoring record with 125 goals.
Before the Benin fixture, Argentina will play two other friendly matches, beginning with Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30. They will then face Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3.
The matches will be Argentina’s first since their defeat by Spain in the World Cup final.
However, the friendlies come amid disciplinary measures imposed on Argentina by FIFA. The governing body ordered the team to play its next home match at 50 per cent stadium capacity following breaches of its disciplinary code concerning demonstrations of a non-sporting nature.
The sanction followed Argentina’s World Cup semi-final victory over England in July, when several players displayed a banner bearing the message, “The Falklands are Argentine.”
The upcoming fixtures are also expected to count towards suspensions imposed on Argentine players following incidents after the World Cup final defeat to Spain.
Midfielder Leandro Paredes was handed a 10-match suspension, while defender Nahuel Molina received a seven-game ban and Thiago Almada was suspended for one match.
