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Benin will face Lionel Messi and Argentina in Buenos Aires on Tuesday as the football icon prepares for his final international appearance.
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Messi’s farewell will bring the curtain down on a 21-year Argentina career that includes 125 international goals and the 2022 World Cup triumph.
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The Argentine Football Association has promised Messi the home send-off it believes the country’s greatest star deserves.
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Several members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad are expected to join the celebrations at the farewell match.
October 05, (THEWILL) – Benin will have the extraordinary opportunity to share the pitch with Lionel Messi when Argentina’s greatest football star makes his final appearance for the national team on Tuesday.
The friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires will be more than a routine international fixture for the Argentine hosts.
It will mark the closing chapter of Messi’s 21-year career with the Albiceleste, with Benin standing as the final opponent the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will face in Argentina colours.
Messi arrived in Argentina on Friday ahead of the farewell, travelling from Miami with his family on a private jet before landing in his hometown of Rosario, around 300 kilometres from Buenos Aires.
The Argentine Football Association has made clear that the occasion is intended to celebrate the career of a player who has become central to the country’s football history.
The association said the objective is to ensure that “the best player in the world gets the home send-off he truly deserves.”
Benin Face Historic Occasion Against Messi
For Benin, Tuesday’s fixture presents a rare opportunity to face one of football’s most decorated players on the biggest possible stage.
Rather than simply being another friendly against Argentina, the match will form part of a farewell ceremony for Messi, who has already announced his decision to retire from international football.
The 39-year-old announced on August 31 that he would bring his Argentina career to an end.
His final appearance will come after a remarkable international journey that began more than two decades ago and included some of the most significant moments in the country’s football history.
Messi has scored 125 goals for Argentina, while leading the national team to the 2022 World Cup title.
He also played in the 2014 World Cup final, where Argentina lost to Germany, before reaching another final against Spain in 2026.
That makes Tuesday’s encounter against Benin particularly significant.
The West African side will not only be facing the reigning world champions but will also become the opponent involved in Messi’s final appearance for Argentina.
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A Final Argentina Chapter For Messi
Messi’s departure represents the end of an era for Argentina.
For much of his career, the forward carried enormous expectations whenever he wore the national shirt.
The disappointment of losing the 2014 World Cup final and subsequent struggles were eventually replaced by international success, with Messi helping Argentina win the Copa América before completing his collection of major honours with the 2022 World Cup.
Now, the player who spent 21 years representing Argentina is preparing to say goodbye on home soil.
And Benin will be at the centre of that historic moment.
When the two teams walk onto the pitch at the Monumental on Tuesday, the result will inevitably matter less than the occasion.
For Benin, it is an opportunity to test themselves against Argentina.
For Messi, it will be the final time he represents the country that watched him grow from a gifted youngster into one of football’s defining figures.
The final whistle will therefore signal more than the end of a friendly.
It will close Messi’s extraordinary Argentina chapter with Benin as the final opponent standing across from him.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
