Messi's Last Dance at the Monumental: Everything You Need for Argentina vs Benin
The Occasion — Bigger Than a Friendly
Tonight is not really about Benin. When Lionel Messi walks out at the Estadio Más Monumental for the 208th and final time in an Argentina shirt, the AFA is treating it as a state occasion. The federation has confirmed his famous No. 10 shirt will be retired from the national team after this match — nobody wears it again. The University of Buenos Aires will present him with an honorary degree before kickoff. Tickets sold out in under two hours, a special commemorative jersey has been produced for the night, and members of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad have been invited with their families. For those without tickets, the "Gracias, Leo" Fan Fest runs from noon to midnight at the UBA sports complex, with live music and a giant screen.
Who Will Be There, and Who Won't
Messi joined the camp at Ezeiza on Sunday, and his first training session ended the way these things should — with a traditional squad asado on Sunday evening. He is expected to line up alongside Giovani Lo Celso, Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Otamendi, who may himself be bowing out of international football. Leandro Paredes will be in the stands, serving a ten-match FIFA suspension. Two notable absentees: Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina, after AS Roma blocked the pair from travelling. Guido Rodríguez was given permission by Valencia to return for the tribute events but will not play. Head coach Lionel Scaloni admitted he personally pushed for this farewell to happen, saying he did his part because he wanted to be at Messi's goodbye — while conceding he is unsure about his own future with the national team.
The Numbers on the Line
This is cap number 208, and the goals column reads 125. Benin are not among the 44 national teams Messi has scored against at senior level — if he finds the net tonight, they become number 45. His World Cup ledger alone is absurd: 34 games, 33 goal involvements, 21 goals, 12 assists. And the team he leaves behind is in rude health: Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0 in this window without him, and Lautaro Martínez has drawn level with Sergio Agüero on 42 international goals, third on the all-time list. The post-Messi era, it turns out, has already quietly begun.
When and How to Watch
Kickoff is 8:00 PM local time in Buenos Aires on Tuesday — which means 4:00 AM Wednesday morning in Pakistan. The broadcast is listed on ViX and Prime Video at 7 PM Eastern. Expect around 85,000 inside the Monumental, millions more on the fan fest screen, and one long goodbye at full time. For the full story of how a boy from Rosario became immortal, TimeGridFC's 22-minute documentary retrospective is the definitive companion piece to this farewell.
Cover photo: CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. In-article photo: CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Estadio Monumental aerial view).