Lionel Messi is preparing to bring an extraordinary 21-year international career to an emotional close, with Argentina getting ready to bid farewell to one of the defining figures of modern football.
The 39-year-old is set to make his final appearance for Argentina against Benin on 6 October at the historic Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The home of River Plate, with a capacity of around 85,000, is expected to be filled with supporters eager to witness the final chapter of Messi’s remarkable journey in the famous sky-blue and white shirt.
For Argentina, the occasion represents much more than a single international fixture. Messi has spent more than two decades at the heart of the national team, enduring difficult periods before eventually helping deliver some of the most significant trophies in the country’s football history.
The scale of public interest is already clear from the demand for tickets. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni spoke about the anticipation after the team’s match against Burkina Faso, suggesting that even five Monumental stadiums could have been filled for Messi’s farewell.
“If there were five Monumental stadiums, they would all be full. I have received messages from everywhere,” Scaloni said. With so much already said about Messi’s career, the coach believes the remaining task is simply to enjoy the occasion.
Scaloni is among those who have had the privilege of working closely with Messi during one of Argentina’s most successful periods. He expects the farewell to be emotional for everyone involved, including Messi himself, when the veteran forward walks on to the Monumental pitch for what is expected to be his final appearance for the national side.
“I think everyone will be emotional. Messi will be too. The day he steps on to the Monumental pitch will be unforgettable for everyone. I am grateful to be part of this day,” Scaloni said.
The Argentina squad still has a small amount of time left with its captain before the farewell. According to Scaloni, Messi has two more training sessions with the team before the Benin match. The coach wants those final moments to be appreciated rather than overshadowed by the pressure surrounding the occasion.
Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005 and has since played 207 matches for the national side, scoring a record 125 goals. His international career has included periods of disappointment as well as extraordinary success, particularly during the years under Scaloni.
Argentina won the Copa América in 2021, ending a long wait for a major senior international trophy. The team then lifted the Finalissima in 2022 before reaching the summit of world football by winning the World Cup in Qatar later that year. Argentina added another Copa América title in 2024, further strengthening Messi’s place in the country’s football history.
If he plays against Benin as expected, Messi will make his 208th appearance for Argentina. Yet Scaloni believes his greatest contribution cannot be captured by appearances, goals or trophies alone.
The coach pointed instead to Messi’s extraordinary commitment to the national team and his approach to preparation. According to Scaloni, Messi consistently arrived early and left late, while paying close attention to his physical condition and preparing meticulously for each match.
“His legacy is the desire to always be there. He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave. The way he looked after himself and prepared for every match—many people do not see these things, but his team-mates have. There could be no better example,” Scaloni said.
Those habits, which may remain largely unseen by supporters, have been evident to Messi’s team-mates throughout his career. For Scaloni, they form an important part of the example the forward leaves behind. His influence has therefore extended beyond his performances on the pitch and into the daily standards expected within the squad.
That is why the Argentina coach regards Messi’s legacy as something that cannot simply be replicated.
“He is leaving something behind that has no replacement,” Scaloni said.
Messi’s place in Argentina’s football history is also inseparable from the famous No. 10 shirt. Following in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, he created his own era around the iconic number, carrying the expectations of an entire nation through triumphs, setbacks and years of intense scrutiny.
His international story ultimately reached its most successful period with the major trophies Argentina had long been waiting for. The Copa América, Finalissima and World Cup victories transformed the final years of his national-team career and provided a remarkable conclusion to a journey that had once been defined by near misses.
Now, that journey is approaching its final scene. With thousands of supporters expected at the Monumental, Messi’s farewell will bring an emotional close to one of the longest and most influential international careers in modern football.
For Scaloni and Argentina, however, the significance goes beyond the end of a playing career. Messi is leaving behind a standard of dedication, preparation and commitment that his coach believes will have no true substitute.
