Buenos Aires is preparing for a farewell night at the Monumental, where Lionel Messi is set to make his final appearance for Argentina against Benin on Tuesday, 6 October. The 20:00 match will serve as a tribute to the captain whose international career brought Copa América triumphs and the 2022 World Cup to the Albiceleste.
Messi’s departure has turned the fixture into something larger than an ordinary international date. Supporters are planning coordinated songs inside the stadium and across the country, while the Obelisk has already been dressed in imagery of an enormous No. 10 shirt.
Quick facts
- Argentina will host Benin at the Estadio Monumental on Tuesday, 6 October.
- Kick-off is scheduled for 20:00.
- The occasion is expected to be Messi’s final match for the Argentina national team.
- A tribute is planned for the captain after a career that included Copa América titles and the 2022 World Cup.
- Coach Lionel Scaloni and several teammates have spoken of the emotion surrounding the occasion.
Scaloni said the evening would carry a different feeling, admitting he expects to watch parts of it with the perspective of a fan from the bench. Argentina will continue after Messi, he said, but the side cannot be the same without him.
“It felt as though this day would never arrive, and nobody wanted it to,” Agustín Giay said. “We will enjoy it enormously. It will be a special and emotional night for him and for all of us.”
The coach echoed that sense of finality. “The national team will go on, of course, but without him it will clearly not be the same,” Scaloni said.
Memories from the Argentina camp
Inside the squad, the farewell has already prompted players to revisit their first moments alongside Messi. Nicolás Tagliafico recalled being called up for the first time in 2017 and encountering the forward in a lift during a training camp in Australia, an experience that left the defender almost frozen.
Goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli looked back to the aftermath of the Qatar 2022 final. As the Argentina party was leaving Lusail Stadium, he turned around and saw Messi celebrating with the World Cup trophy.
“I remember looking back and seeing him there, celebrating with the World Cup in his hands,” Rulli said.
Emiliano Martínez spoke of the personal reminders he will keep: photographs with Messi, a shirt dedicated to Martínez’s son, and an image from Argentina’s Copa América celebrations. The goalkeeper accepted that replacing such a presence will be a lifelong challenge.
“It will be difficult forever, but we have to adjust,” Martínez said.
For one night in Buenos Aires, the Monumental will be the centre of that adjustment: a stadium, a city and a national team marking the end of Messi’s Argentina journey.
