Carlos Tévez, the former Argentine footballer who retired in 2022, is working to organise a farewell match at La Bombonera at the end of 2026. Tévez was left with the lingering regret of not having had a farewell match at the stadium, and he now appears to have revived the idea of staging one. According to Infobae, he already has the approval of Juan Román Riquelme to go ahead with the event.
The match is being planned for December 20. If it goes ahead, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would be there, playing for the same team — a prospect that is one of football’s unfinished pieces of business. The two most important figures in the sport in the 21st century, and practically in the entire history of the game, are in the final years of their careers after two decades of shining, and Tévez wants to bring them together to “close the circle”.
A few weeks ago, Tévez spoke about the project on the Argentine streaming channel OLGA, saying he was preparing the event. “It would be very nice, I have to talk to Román to do it at the end of the year,” he said. He then revealed some of the names he has shared a team with: “Goalkeepers, Buffon and Van der Sar; defenders Ferdinand, Vidic, Chiellini, Bonucci; midfielders Pirlo, Scholes, Riquelme…” The panelists described the potential line-up as “the best friendly match in history”.
When the conversation turned to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Tévez was emphatic. “We’re bringing them together,” he said. “I’ll go get Cristiano myself, and the little guy too,” he added, referring to Messi. Tévez played 47 matches alongside Messi for the Argentina national team and 80 matches with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. Now he wants to bring them together for a unique image that could last for eternity.