Messi will play a farewell match for the national team of Argentina
Striker Lionel Messi will play a farewell match for Argentina on October 6 against Benin in Buenos Aires. This was announced by the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) Claudio Tapia on Instagram (owned by Meta, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in the Russian Federation).
"After talking with Lionel Scaloni, we decided to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, so that he could receive the farewell he truly deserves, on October 6 here in Argentina," Tapia said.
The farewell meeting will take place at the "Monumental" Stadium in Buenos Aires. Before that, Argentina will play against Bolivia on September 30 and Burkina Faso on October 3, but Messi will not participate in these matches.
The match against Benin will be his last appearance for the national team of Argentina, according to the website of the International Football Federation (FIFA). Messi will wear a special blue and white national team T-shirt to the farewell match. It will be decorated with the May sun, one of the main national symbols of Argentina. The Messi family name and its traditional 10th number will be made in gold.
After leaving the national team, Messi will continue his club career at the American "Inter Miami". His contract with the club runs until the end of 2028, so the end of playing for Argentina does not mean the end of his professional career as a football player.
Messi made his debut for the Argentina national team in 2005 at the age of 18. In total, he played 207 matches for the national team, scored 125 goals and provided 68 assists.
As part of the main national team, the Argentine won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, the Finalissima in 2022 and the 2022 World Cup. At the youth level, he won the Under-20 World Championship in 2005 and won gold at the 2008 Olympic Games.
In addition, Messi helped the Argentina national team reach the 2014 World Cup finals. In total, he won six major titles with the national team at the youth and adult levels, which makes him the most decorated football player in the history of the national team.
The 39-year-old announced his retirement from the national team on August 31. Messi thanked his fans for the support he has felt over the past 20 years, as well as the loved ones who have kept him on track. In early August, the footballer lost his father, Jorge Messi, who could not cope with a serious illness and passed away at the age of 68. He noted that after the family tragedy, he is even more confident that the decision to leave the national team is the right one.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
