Lionel Messi arrived in Argentina on Friday ahead of his last match with the national team.
It will be a friendly match between the Argentinian national team and the Beninese national team in Buenos Aires on Tuesday in what will be the last match in the career of the man who brought his team a World Cup win in 2022.
EL ADIÓS DEL GOAT SE ACERCA😥💔
Lionel Messi llegó a Argentina de cara a su partido de despedida con la Selección este martes contra Benín.🥺@SC_ESPN pic.twitter.com/4RZxKfxQgz
— ESPN Centroamérica (@ESPN_CENAM) October 2, 2026
According to the Argentine Football Association, it is their aim that through this match, “the best player in the world gets the send-off at home that he truly deserves.”
The 36-year-old Argentine superstar, who retired from international football on Aug. 31, came to his hometown of Rosario, 300 kilometers (approximately 190 miles) north of Buenos Aires by his private plane with his family.
Several other 2022 World Cup champions will be at the party, per ESPN. But Dybala and Molina could not make it due to AS Roma’s refusal to release the duo.
This move marks the end of a landmark career of Messi that spanned over 21 years in the Albiceleste kit with a staggering 125 goals and appearances in two World Cup finals — the most recent one in which they lost to Spain and another to Germany in 2014.
Notably, Messi is not participating in any other game for Argentina in the international calendar. They won against Bolivia 4-0 in a match on Wednesday, and their next match will be against Burkina Faso this Saturday.
