Messi Joins Argentina Camp at Ezeiza Ahead of Farewell Match

Lionel Messi has joined Argentina's training camp at Ezeiza ahead of Tuesday's farewell friendly against Benin, greeting AFA president Claudio Tapia before his first session with the squad.

'Welcome, Captain! The emotion is total'

Lionel Messi reported to Argentina's Ezeiza training base on Sunday, 4 October, to begin preparations for what is expected to be his final international appearance. The AFA welcomed the Inter Miami forward with a social media message celebrating his return — 'Welcome, Captain! The emotion is total' — alongside images of Messi speaking with AFA president Claudio Tapia.

The 39-year-old had been in Argentina for several days but chose to spend time with his family in Rosario before joining the national team. Head coach Lionel Scaloni had given the captain the freedom to decide when he wanted to report for duty, and Messi arrived shortly before Sunday's training session.

According to reports from Argentina, Messi touched down in Rosario on Friday morning, arriving from Fort Lauderdale on a private jet with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, their three sons and his mother Celia Cuccittini, before heading to the family home in Funes.

First session, then asado

Messi completed his first workout with the squad on Sunday before joining his teammates for a traditional Argentine asado on Sunday evening — the kind of team ritual that has defined Argentina's camp culture under Scaloni. The coaching staff will hold a final training session on Monday to settle the lineup for the Benin friendly.

Argentina enter the farewell in strong form after two convincing post-World Cup victories without their captain — 4-0 over Bolivia and 7-0 over Burkina Faso — so the mood at Ezeiza has been upbeat even as the emotional weight of the week builds.

Messi did not feature in either of those matches in Córdoba, making Tuesday's friendly his first Argentina appearance since the World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey.

A farewell for more than one

Several of Messi's long-time teammates have been called up specifically to share his final night. Giovani Lo Celso, Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Otamendi are expected to play alongside the captain at the Estadio Monumental, and Tuesday could mark a final cap for them too.

Leandro Paredes will also be part of the occasion, attending from the stands after FIFA handed him a 10-match suspension following the 2026 World Cup final. Two members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad, Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina, will miss the celebration after Roma blocked their travel to Argentina.

The captain will enter the farewell holding Argentina's national records for goals and appearances, with 125 goals and 68 assists in 207 caps — a haul highlighted by the 2022 World Cup, two Copa América titles and the Finalissima.

Tapia: the farewell he truly deserves

AFA president Claudio Tapia explained why the federation chose to stage the tribute at home in Buenos Aires. '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.

The evening at River Plate's ground has been deliberately framed as the ultimate home tribute, with around 85,000 supporters expected and tickets sold out in under two hours. Kickoff for Argentina vs Benin is at 20:00 local time on Tuesday — Messi's 208th and final appearance in the Albiceleste shirt.

The 2022 champions gather

Monday's camp was not only about Messi. Members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad — the players who delivered the country's third star in Qatar — have been invited to join the farewell with their families, turning Ezeiza and the Monumental into a reunion of the team that changed Argentine football.

Among them is Ángel Di María, who retired from international football in 2024 but will be present to witness the passing of the torch. Alongside the established stars, the new generation is already in the building: creative midfielders Nicolás Paz and Franco Mastantuono, and wingers Gianluca Prestianni and Leonel Flores, who all impressed in the recent 4-0 win over Bolivia and 7-0 win over Burkina Faso.

For vice-captain Nicolás Otamendi, now 38, the week carries its own weight — the defender is expected to make his final Argentina appearance alongside the captain he has played beside for over a decade.

Final training, then the 208th cap

The coaching staff will hold a final training session on Monday to settle the lineup for the friendly, with Scaloni expected to name a side built around giving Messi — and the fellow veterans called up for this one fixture — a proper stage.

Kickoff at the Estadio Monumental is at 20:00 local time on Tuesday, in front of around 85,000 supporters after tickets sold out in less than two hours. The evening has been deliberately framed as the ultimate home tribute: video tributes, invited legends and a special commemorative jersey all form part of the AFA's plans.

When Messi walks out at the Monumental, it will be cap number 208 — the last chapter of an international journey that began with his senior debut in August 2005 and carried Argentina to the World Cup, two Copa América titles and the Finalissima. Everything at Ezeiza this week has been building toward that one walk onto the pitch.

The farewell friendly is also a logistical showpiece for the AFA: the federation invited the 2022 World Cup winners to Buenos Aires for the occasion, and the Monumental's 85,000 seats were gone within two hours of release. A special jersey was created for the night, and video tributes will accompany the matchday programme — a fitting stage for a player who, in Scaloni's words, leaves behind 'something unequaled'.

Everything now points to Tuesday night — when the captain leads Argentina out one last time.

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