The Last Tango: Lionel Messi Bids Farewell to Argentina Against Benin on Tuesday
Lionel Messi will wear the Argentina shirt for the 208th and final time on Tuesday night when La Albiceleste host Benin at the Estadio Monumental in a farewell billed as 'The Last Tango'.
Twenty years of magic in light blue and white comes down to one more night. On Tuesday, October 6, Lionel Messi will walk out at the Estadio Mas Monumental for the 208th and final time in an Argentina shirt, as La Albiceleste host Benin in a friendly that has been built entirely around saying goodbye to the greatest player the country has ever produced.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. local time in Buenos Aires (7 p.m. ET), and the occasion — dubbed "The Last Tango" — is expected to be one of the most emotional nights in the stadium's history.
Home at last
Messi touched down in Rosario on Friday morning, arriving from Fort Lauderdale on a private jet alongside his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, their three sons and his mother Celia Cuccittini, before heading to the family home in Funes. It was a deliberately low-key arrival for a week that will be anything but quiet.
The 39-year-old announced in late August that he was retiring from international football following Argentina's run to the 2026 World Cup final, where they fell 1-0 to Spain on July 19. Having given, in his own words, everything he had to the national team, the Argentine Football Association moved quickly to arrange a proper send-off — and the response has been staggering. Tickets for the Benin friendly sold out in less than two hours, and a special commemorative Argentina jersey has been created for the occasion.
A celebration, not just a friendly
This is no ordinary international friendly. Argentina have also planned a "Gracias, Leo" Fan Fest for Tuesday, with music, entertainment and a live screening of the match for supporters who could not get inside the Monumental.
Messi will not be alone in the spotlight. Longtime teammates and close friends Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are joining the squad for the farewell, and members of the country's 2022 World Cup-winning team have been invited to take part in the celebrations. In a touching tribute, the AFA has also retired the No. 10 shirt for this international window — nobody else will wear it while Messi takes his final bow.
Across 207 caps so far, Messi has scored 125 goals, lifted the 2022 World Cup, won two Copa América titles and dragged Argentina to the World Cup finals of both 2014 and 2026. No player in the nation's history comes close to those numbers.
What comes next for Argentina
The farewell also marks the beginning of a new era. Manager Lionel Scaloni's contract with the national team runs out at the end of the calendar year, and the succession plan is already taking shape: it has been confirmed that defender Cristian "Cuti" Romero will inherit the captain's armband as Argentina build toward the 2030 World Cup cycle and the 2028 Copa América.
For Messi himself, the story is not over — only the international chapter. He remains on course for a third straight MLS MVP award and will continue leading Inter Miami's push for MLS Cup glory. But after Tuesday night in Buenos Aires, the sight of Messi in the albiceleste will belong to memory.
One more tango. One more night. Buenos Aires is ready.