Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football at the end of August after a glittering 21-year career with Argentina, yet he was just named in the latest national team squad.
Messi confirmed his decision to retire on 31 August, just weeks after Argentina’s extra-time defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
In an emotional statement, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said the choice “hurts deep in my soul” but that he had “nothing left to give.”
He leaves as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with 125 goals in 207 appearances and as the man who finally delivered the country’s third World Cup title in 2022.
Despite that announcement, Pulse Sports reported that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) included Messi in the 28-man squad for three upcoming home friendlies.
The key fixture is against Benin on 6 October at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, a match officially designated as his farewell appearance.
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AFA president Claudio Tapia explained the decision after discussions with head coach Lionel Scaloni:
“We decided to invite the best player in the world, our icon, our captain Lionel Messi, so that he can have the farewell he deserves on October 6.”
Tapia confirmed Messi had accepted the invitation and added that members of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families would also be invited to witness the “last tango.”
Argentina will first face Bolivia on 30 September in Córdoba and Burkina Faso on 3 October in Buenos Aires before the Benin game.
Messi is expected to feature only in the final match, giving fans one last opportunity to see their greatest player in the famous light-blue-and-white jersey.
The arrangement allows Messi a proper home send-off after his international career ended on foreign soil in the World Cup final, closing the chapter in front of the supporters who have followed him for more than two decades.