Argentina fans descend on Buenos Aires for glimpse of Lionel Messi as legend prepares for final game for his country
By DANIEL MATTHEWS, US SENIOR SPORTS WRITER and ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: | Updated:
Fans poured on to the streets of Buenos Aires on Tuesday ahead of Lionel Messi's final ever game for Argentina.
The 39-year-old is set to bring the curtain down on his international career after 21 years, 125 goals, two Copa America titles and a World Cup victory.
In Messi's 208th Argentina appearance, Lionel Scaloni's team will take on West African minnows Benin but the otherwise-unremarkable friendly has become a seismic moment for Argentine soccer.
Messi will continue to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer but on August 31, he announced he would be retiring from international football.
That decision came just weeks after the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium near New York, where Spain beat Argentina and Messi's World Cup journey ended in tears.
Tuesday's friendly is being played at Estadio Monumental, the 85,000-seater home of River Plate, and pictures showed tens of thousands of fans crammed outside the stadium hours before kick off.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2026A giant Lionel Messi shirt is being flown over his hometown Rosario ahead of his final game for Argentina 🥺🇦🇷
via M10GOAT pic.twitter.com/2LNPJUxVfU
Fans poured on to the streets of Buenos Aires ahead of Lionel Messi's final ever game
Tens of thousands of fans crammed outside Estadio Monumental hours before kick off
The 39-year-old is set to bring the curtain down on his international career after 21 years
One Argentina supporter shows off his tattoos of the country's icon ahead of the game
Fans let off flares as they prepared for Tuesday's friendly against African minnows Benin
One young supporter, pictured in Buenos Aires, had a temporary tattoo of Messi on her face
Four years ago in Qatar, the 39-year-old led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup
The friendly is being played at Estadio Monumental, the 85,000-seater home of River Plate
Some fans let off flares and carried giant banners in honor of their retiring hero, while others showed off Messi tattoos or painted images of the 39-year-old on their face.
In Messi's hometown, Rosario, a giant jersey carrying his No 10 was flown by helicopter.
The Argentine soccer federation has turned Tuesday's game - Messi's 208th for his country - into a national homage dubbed 'the last tango.'
Around 85,000 tickets to Buenos Aires' largest stadium sold out in 90 minutes, while members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families were invited back to join the tribute.
Four years ago, Messi led Argentina to victory in Qatar, securing the country's third World Cup triumph and landing the one trophy that had eluded him for so long.
That victory sparked remarkable celebrations back home and Tuesday's farewell promises more emotional scenes on the streets of Buenos Aires.
Argentina scheduled low-budget friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin for the international break, but have so far refrained from playing Messi so he is fit for his swansong.
Argentinian TV network C5N tracked down members of the Benin squad walking around the capital city, and centre-back Tijani Mohamed said: 'You don't mark Messi. We are just going to enjoy this match.
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