Messi named in Argentina squad for farewell friendly

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner gets one last outing in Argentina colours against Benin in October.

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What happened. Argentina have named Lionel Messi in their squad for an October friendly against Benin, set to be his farewell to international football. Messi announced his retirement from Argentina duty in August after their 2026 World Cup final defeat by Spain.

• Messi retired from Argentina duty with 'nothing left to give' after the World Cup final loss
• He is Argentina's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player with 125 goals in 207 games
• Argentina's 2022 World Cup winners have also been invited to the match

“We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on 6 October here in Argentina”

— Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia

The friendly at the 85,000-capacity Estadio Monumental will give Messi the send-off he was denied after the World Cup final.

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