Buenos Aires gave Lionel Messi a farewell shaped as much by affection as by football, with Argentina defeating Benin 3-0 at the Monumental de Núñez in a night devoted to its No. 10. The stadium welcomed a host of familiar figures for an occasion that became the leading conversation in South American football during the week.
While the celebrations centred on Messi, three members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad were absent: goalkeeper Franco Armani, right-back Gonzalo Montiel and midfielder Papu Gómez.
Armani had an accepted sporting reason for missing the gathering. He was with Atlético Nacional ahead of Thursday’s match against Tolima. Gómez, meanwhile, chose not to attend after receiving an invitation. The 38-year-old has not returned to the Argentina squad since the Qatar World Cup and is continuing his career in the United Arab Emirates; he appeared instead as a television commentator in Kuwait during the match.
Montiel overlooked as Giay starts
Montiel’s absence came through selection rather than availability. Lionel Scaloni did not call up the defender whose penalty against France sealed Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022.
Palmeiras defender Giay was selected ahead of him and started at right-back against Benin, a small but notable sign of renewal on an evening otherwise built around remembrance. Argentina’s 3-0 win supplied the result, yet the Monumental belonged above all to Messi and to a country marking the departure of its defining footballer.
