Why Argentina Gave Messi His Farewell Against Benin

When Lionel Messi announced his international retirement, Argentina refused to let his story end with a World Cup final defeat. Instead, the AFA staged a farewell against Benin — and this is how that night came together.

The invitation

The story began with an ending. On August 31, 2026, Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football, weeks after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain in July and following the death of his father, Jorge. It looked as though the greatest Argentina career of them all would close with a defeat and a death.

The Argentine Football Association had other ideas. On September 15, the AFA confirmed Messi had been called up by Lionel Scaloni for a three-match home friendly window in September and October — with the understanding that he would feature only in the third of the three games: the October 6 friendly against Benin at River Plate's Estadio Monumental.

AFA president Claudio Tapia explained the decision in terms that left no doubt about its meaning: "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." FIFA formally announced the fixture as Messi's farewell appearance for Argentina.

Tapia also invited every member of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad, with their families, to walk out onto the Monumental pitch alongside Messi — turning the Benin fixture into what was already being called Argentina's football event of the year.

A three-match farewell window

The farewell was built around a full international window rather than a standalone exhibition. Argentina played three home friendlies across September and October: Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30, Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3, and Benin at the Monumental on October 6.

Messi was never going to play all three. The squad for the window numbered 28 players, and the 39-year-old was included specifically for the Benin finale. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso joined the group for that match only, skipping the earlier friendlies, so the farewell squad would look like the Argentina of Messi's era.

For Scaloni, the window served two purposes at once: a celebration of the past and a look at the future. He used the three games to begin preparing the team for the post-Messi era, calling up a mix of trusted veterans, 2022 world champions and youngsters seen as the future after the No. 10.

Why the Monumental

The venue was never in doubt. The Estadio Monumental is where Messi has scored more international goals than at any other ground — 19 in total — and it was where the squad returned to celebrate after winning the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. A sell-out crowd of more than 85,000 packed the stadium on October 6.

Hours before kickoff, a massive No. 10 shirt emblazoned with "Gracias" — Thank You — was unfurled at the National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Messi's hometown, marking the start of a day of national celebration. Landmarks across Buenos Aires glowed in sky blue and white, and fireworks lit the skies above the stadium as fans poured out a rendition of the national anthem that reduced Messi to tears before kickoff.

The 10th-minute tradition

The farewell revived a tradition the AFA had introduced when Messi announced his retirement: stopping play in the 10th minute of matches for applause in recognition of his national-team career. On the night itself, the tribute was different, because Messi was standing on the pitch while it unfolded.

In the 10th minute, with play halted, the 85,000-strong crowd rose as one to applaud the 39-year-old, chanting his name as fireworks illuminated the sky above the Monumental. Messi waved towards the stands. The tribute was not limited to the home side — Benin's players joined the applause, including defender Tamimou Ouorou, who clapped for the Argentine icon.

Before kickoff, a giant Argentina jersey bearing the word "Gracias" above Messi's No. 10 was laid out on the pitch, and when the teams took the field, Benin's captain handed Messi a gift and a letter during the pre-match handshake.

Benin's side of history

For Benin, the fixture instantly became one of the biggest nights in the country's football history. Facing the greatest player of his generation in his farewell international appearance put a routine friendly on the global football map and gave West African football a rare moment in the spotlight.

Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou rejected any suggestion his side would treat the night as a ceremony. "This is football: eleven against eleven," he told Marca before the match. "We are not here to do tourism in Argentina, we are here to play and compete." Asked whether he would try to save a Messi penalty even in the final minute, Dandjinou replied: "If Messi takes it, I will try to stop it. Nobody has told us that we have to give him a goal."

Benin coach Gernot Rohr, who had previously faced Messi as Nigeria's coach at the 2018 World Cup, said: "It's a big honor for us and also for me like a coach to play this last game of Leo Messi in his national team." After the match, Benin assistant Tunde Adelakun told BBC Sport Africa the Cheetahs were "ecstatic" to have shared the night.

The night itself

The football, as it turned out, was worthy of the occasion. After a goalless first half, Messi supplied the corner for Nicolas Otamendi — a teammate of 17 years across four World Cups, himself ending his international career — to volley home the opener in the 48th minute. In the 61st minute Messi set up Nico Paz, one of the players seen as a potential successor for Argentina's No. 10 shirt, to score the second.

Then came the fairytale ending. After Tamimou Ouorou brought down Agustin Giay, Messi converted the resulting penalty in the 71st minute for 3-0 — his 126th international goal, in his 208th and final appearance. At the final whistle, teammates, opponents and even the referee gathered around Messi for embraces before a drone show lit up the sky above the Monumental to mark the end of his Argentina career.

Speaking after the match, Messi said: "It's hard to talk. There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head. The first thing I think about is my old man." He added: "Not coming any more is going to hurt a lot. I swear, I'd love to keep coming my whole life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you."

What the farewell fixed

The Benin night corrected an ending nobody wanted. Messi's Argentina career had looked set to finish with the World Cup final defeat to Spain in July — a painful last image after 21 years in the shirt. When he announced his retirement on August 31, still grieving his father, the farewell seemed likely to be a private, mournful affair.

Instead, the AFA gave him a packed Monumental, two assists, a 126th goal and a drone show. It was, in the end, the farewell his career deserved — and Benin, the opponents for the first-ever meeting between the two nations, will be remembered for far more than the scoreline.

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