MESSI TO PLAY FINAL ARGENTINA MATCH AGAINST BENIN

Lionel Messi will play his final match for Argentina on Tuesday evening, with La Albiceleste facing Benin in an international friendly at the Estadio Más Monumental. According to GiveMeSport, 85,000 fans are expected to attend the fixture. Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2025 at the age of 18, when he was sent off against Hungary, and has gone on to make 207 appearances for the national side, scoring 125 goals. He has helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022 and two Copa América titles over a 21-year international career. Messi, now 39, has decided to end his international career, GiveMeSport reported. Separately, according to Sportskeeda, Messi said ahead of the match that he "leaves in peace" and "gave it my all" in a message to Argentina supporters.

Benin, ranked 89th in the world by FIFA, will be Messi's final international opponents. Benin defender Mohamed Tijani told reporters, as quoted by Sports Illustrated via GiveMeSport, that his side would not specifically mark Messi during the game. "We shouldn't mark Messi. We are going to enjoy this match. There's no special plan to defend against Messi, we just have to enjoy this game, and that's it," Tijani said. He added: "Messi, you are the God. To me, he's the best in the world." Tijani, who is 29, also said he intended to obtain Messi's shirt after the match, stating "I'm going to look at him like this" and that he would leave with the shirt "I swear on my mother's life."

The friendly marks the end of Messi's playing career in an Argentina shirt after more than two decades representing the national team. No further matches for Messi with Argentina have been reported following the fixture against Benin.