Lionel Messi has been called up to the Argentina national team for the friendly against Benin on October 6 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The match will be dedicated to Messi as part of a farewell to the Argentina captain following his decision to retire from international football.
Argentina Football Association president Claudio Tapia confirmed the plans in a video statement.
“To all Argentina fans, I want to tell you that after a conversation with the national team head coach, Lionel Scaloni, we have decided to invite the best player in the world, our national team emblem, our captain, Lionel Andrés Messi, so he can have the goodbye he truly deserves on Oct. 6 here in Argentina,” Tapia said.
“At the same time, after Lionel accepted the invitation we decided to invite all the 2022 World Cup winners that played with him in Qatar so they can, with their families, join him in this match that will be unforgettable. We invite all Argentinians and national team fans to watch ‘the last tango’ of the best player in the world.”
Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31 in an Instagram post.
He leaves the Argentina national team as its all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances.
Argentina will face Bolivia on September 30 and Burkina Faso on October 3 before hosting Benin at the Monumental.
Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso will also join Argentina for the Benin match, despite being included in the team’s general squad.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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