The Argentina national team has called up Lionel Messi for a friendly against Benin on October 6 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, a match that will serve as his Argentina farewell.
Argentina are scheduled to play three friendlies during the international window: against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Messi will feature only in the final match, against Benin. The AFA has also announced that Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso will only be involved in that last game.
AFA president “Chiqui” Tapia explained the decision: “To all the fans of the Argentina National Team, I want to inform you that, after a conversation we had with the coach of the senior national team, Lionel Scaloni, we have made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the emblem of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andrés Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on October 6, here in Argentina.”
Tapia added that all of Argentina’s 2022 Qatar World Cup winners will also be present, together with their families, to accompany Messi in a match described as unforgettable for the national team’s fans and as the final tango of the best player in the world.
Scaloni’s squad for the international break also includes several newer names. Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina, on loan from Real Madrid), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Román Vega (Zenit), Matías Soulé (Roma) and Santiago Castro (Roma) are highlighted as the main new additions beyond Messi’s return.