At Argentina’s national team base in Ezeiza, now named after Lionel Andrés Messi, the final gathering carried the weight of two decades. Messi trained with Argentina for what was presented as the last time ahead of Tuesday’s farewell meeting with Benin at the Monumental, bringing a 21-year international journey towards its closing night.
The captain arrived at the complex on Sunday afternoon after spending time in his native Rosario. On Monday he pulled on the Argentina shirt for the first and final training session of this camp, with Lionel Scaloni’s squad preparing for the occasion in Buenos Aires.
Training began at about 17:30 local time. The mood was not entirely solemn: Messi joined his team-mates in rondos, mobility drills and small challenges that brought laughter and playful exchanges around the group. It was a familiar football afternoon at Ezeiza, even as everyone present understood its unusual significance.
Ezequiel “Pocho” Lavezzi, Messi’s former Argentina colleague, attended the session, as did Cristian “Kily” González, the Inter Miami coach. Their presence added further links to the many chapters of a national-team career that has stretched across generations.
A Monumental farewell
Argentina are due to host Benin on Tuesday, 6 October, at the Estadio Monumental in what will be Messi’s final official appearance in the Albiceleste shirt. The 85,000-capacity stadium is expected to be full, while the streets around River Plate’s ground are also likely to fill with supporters. Thousands more are expected to gather at the Obelisk in central Buenos Aires to mark the occasion.
Messi’s Argentina record stands at 207 appearances, 125 goals and 68 assists. He has reached a series of major finals and won four trophies with the national side, including two Copa Américas and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina’s long-awaited third global title.
The fixture against Benin is therefore set to be more than a friendly evening in the capital. It is planned as a tribute to the captain whose time with Argentina has run from promise, pressure and repeated near-misses to the continental and world titles that reshaped his place in the country’s football history.
