Argentina prepares for final tango dance with legend Messi

A farewell ceremony for Messi will be held after his 21-year career with the Argentine national team, as they face Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning GMT). Anyone who recalls the emotional farewell moments and the tears Messi shed when leaving his beloved club Barcelona in 2021 can imagine the depth of emotions that will accompany his departure from Argentina.

Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine national team coach, said: “From the moment his feet touch the ground at the Monumental stadium, it will be an unforgettable day for everyone.”

Messi announced last August that he would retire from international football this year.

The 39-year-old player then said: “It was a decision that pained me deeply and still does, but I realize the time has come.”

The loss in the World Cup final, the end of the dream of retaining the title, and the death of his father Jorge at the age of 68 had a profound impact on the global football legend, prompting him to make this decision.

Unlike his first retirement from international football in 2016, following another loss in a major final, this time it will be the actual end of his international career.

Scaloni, whose success story is closely tied to Messi’s career, said: “There is a sense of sadness because he will no longer be here, not just from a football perspective.”

Both Messi and Scaloni were part of the Argentine squad at the 2006 World Cup, before Scaloni ended his playing career in 2015. Since taking charge of the Argentine national team in 2018, Scaloni has successfully built a team centered around Messi, which won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, and the World Cup in 2022, and reached the final again in the next edition in 2026.

This team will miss Messi; he was their leader and at the same time one of them. His teammates were like fans and personal guardians, and the football-loving nation, which once loved Diego Maradona, also fell in love with Messi.

As Messi closes the chapter on his career with the Argentine national team, he will remain under contract with Inter Miami until the end of 2028, and is expected to retire from football afterward.

While a new era begins for Argentine fans who are unaware of whether Scaloni will renew his contract at the end of this year, Messi has already entered a new phase of his life, owning a small empire that includes a hotel chain, real estate investments, and two clubs in Spain.