Lionel Messi to bid farewell to Argentina national team with a final match in Buenos Aires: ‘The last tango of the world’s best player’

A story that had it all, from painful defeats to everlasting victories, will come to an end. It will happen on October 6, when Lionel Messi plays his final match with the Argentina national team. That day the Albiceleste will face Benin in Buenos Aires in a friendly. “The last tango of the world’s best player,” said the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio Tapia.

The match will bring to a close a series of friendlies meant to reunite the national team with its supporters after Argentina finished as runners-up at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Although not yet confirmed, it could also be one of the last matches Lionel Scaloni will oversee as coach: the manager has indicated he will only remain in the role until his contract ends in December.

Messi’s farewell on the pitch was announced Tuesday by Tapia in a video released by the AFA. “After a conversation we had with the senior team coach, Lionel Scaloni, we made the decision to invite the world’s best player, the emblem of our national team, our captain Lionel Andrés Messi, so he can have the send-off he truly deserves on October 6, here in Argentina,” he said. “After receiving Lionel’s acceptance, [we want] to invite all the world champions who took part in the Qatar World Cup, so that, together with their families, they can accompany him in an unforgettable match.”

Even with the sorrow over his father’s recent death still raw, Messi had announced at the end of last month his decision to retire from the Argentina national team, for which he competed for more than 20 years, played 207 matches and scored 125 goals, winning a World Cup and two Copa América titles, among other honors. “I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,” he said in a public letter to fans. “It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come.”

During the next round of international fixtures, Argentina will play two other matches. On September 30 in the city of Córdoba it will face Bolivia and then, at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, it will play against Burkina Faso on October 3 and on October 6 against Benin. According to the AFA, that will be the only match in which Messi will take part.

Scaloni’s squad list includes 20 players who played in the World Cup, where they were defeated by Spain in the final, with the addition of younger players who were not at the tournament. The roster includes goalkeepers Emiliano Martínez, Juan Musso and Gerónimo Rulli; defenders Agustín Giay, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Juan Foyth, Facundo Medina, Nicolás Tagliafico and Román Vega; midfielders Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Valentín Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolás Paz and Franco Mastantuono; and forwards Matías Soulé, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolás González, Gianluca Prestianni, José Manuel López, Santiago Castro, Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez, in addition to Messi.

For the celebration the players Franco Armani, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Germán Pezzella, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Acuña, Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodríguez, Alejandro Gómez, Exequiel Palacios, Thiago Almada, Ángel Di María, Paulo Dybala and Ángel Correa will be invited, all champions with Messi at the 2022 World Cup.

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