Lionel Messi will wear Argentina’s sky blue-and-white jersey for the final time on Tuesday. The match ends a 21-year international career.
The 39-year-old will get an emotional farewell when Argentina face Benin in a friendly at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental. About 85,000 fans will fill the stadium. Millions more will watch on television.
Messi announced his retirement in August. He decided two and a half months after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain.
“I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance,” he said.
On Monday, he finished his last training session at the Argentina Football Association (AFA) complex in Ezeiza. The complex bears his name. For fans, the day marks the end of an era.
Messi debuted for Argentina in 2005. He scored 125 goals and made 68 assists in 207 games. His best moment came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He led Argentina to their first global title in 36 years. The win placed him beside Diego Maradona in the country’s football history.
Trophies And Painful Losses
Messi also won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. He added the 2022 Finalissima and 2008 Olympic gold. However, his career had painful defeats too.
These include the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and the 2016 Copa America final against Chile.
Argentina are preparing for life without their captain. Cristian Romero is expected to take the armband. Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez will form the next core.
Coach Lionel Scaloni said replacing Messi means filling a “void”. Young players Franco Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni scored their first goals in a 7-0 win over Burkina Faso
One question now is: who will wear Messi’s number 10 shirt?
“Until Leo’s game, we won’t give the number 10 to anyone,” Scaloni said. “After that, we’ll see.”
For now, the shirt belongs to Messi. Tuesday gives Argentina one last chance to honour him.
The match at Estadio Monumental will be a night of thanks. Fans will celebrate a player who defined an era. Then Argentina will look ahead.
