Lionel Messi is approaching the final chapter of his 21-year international career, with Argentina preparing for an emotional farewell to one of football’s greatest figures. The veteran forward is set to make his final appearance for the national team against Benin on 6 October at the historic Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The 85,000-capacity stadium is expected to provide a fitting setting for Messi’s farewell. Argentine supporters are eager to witness the closing moments of an extraordinary international journey that has spanned more than two decades and produced some of the most significant achievements in the country’s football history.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni also struggled to hide his emotions when discussing Messi’s impending departure after the match against Burkina Faso. The extraordinary demand for tickets has underlined the scale of public interest, with Scaloni joking that even five Monumental stadiums would have been filled.
“If there were five Monumental stadiums, they would all be full,” Scaloni said, reflecting on the volume of messages he had received about the match. He added that much had already been said about Messi and that the remaining task was simply to enjoy the occasion.
For Scaloni, who has worked closely with Messi during one of the most successful periods in Argentina’s history, the farewell carries a deeply personal significance. He expects the occasion to be emotional not only for supporters but also for Messi himself.
“I think everyone will be emotional. Messi will be too. The day he steps on to the Monumental pitch will be unforgettable for everyone. I am grateful to be part of this day,” Scaloni said.
The Argentina coach also wants the team to make the most of Messi’s final days with the national side. According to Scaloni, Messi has two more training sessions with the squad before the Benin match. Rather than allowing the significance of the occasion to overshadow the moment, the coaching staff intend to appreciate the final stages of his international career.
Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005 and has so far represented the national team in 207 matches, scoring a record 125 goals. His international career has also been defined by major trophies, particularly during the period under Scaloni.
Under Messi’s leadership, Argentina ended a lengthy wait for major international silverware by winning the Copa América in 2021 and again in 2024. The team also lifted the Finalissima in 2022 before securing the biggest prize of all later that year, winning the World Cup in Qatar.
The match against Benin will take Messi to 208 appearances for Argentina, assuming he takes the field as expected. Yet for Scaloni, the numbers only tell part of the story. He believes Messi’s most significant legacy lies in his commitment to the team and his approach to professional preparation.
Scaloni highlighted how Messi consistently arrived early and left late, while taking exceptional care of himself and preparing meticulously for every match. Such habits may not always be visible to supporters watching from the stands, but they have been witnessed closely by his team-mates and those who have worked with him.
“His legacy is the desire to always be there. He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave. The way he looked after himself and prepared for every match—many people do not see these things, but his team-mates have. There could be no better example,” Scaloni said.
That example, in Scaloni’s view, is what makes Messi’s legacy so difficult to replicate. His achievements can be measured in goals, appearances and trophies, but the influence he has had on those around him extends beyond statistics.
“He is leaving something behind that has no replacement,” Scaloni said.
Since inheriting Argentina’s iconic No. 10 shirt after the era of Diego Maradona, Messi has created an identity of his own around the number. His career with the national team has included years of disappointment, criticism and near misses before eventually delivering the trophies Argentine supporters had long demanded.
Now, the final scene of that remarkable story is set to unfold on home soil, in front of thousands of supporters at the Monumental. For Argentina, Messi’s farewell will be more than the end of an international career. It will mark the closing of an era shaped by a player whose influence has become inseparable from the modern history of the national team.
