It is not completely over yet. Lionel Messi will return on October 6 to play an official farewell match against Benin. But before then, Argentina will play two matches that will begin the experience of life without the most powerful “savior” football has ever known.
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Messi’s international career can be divided into two halves. The first came during the opening decade of his career, when there was a widespread feeling that he did not fully fit in with the team, that he was not “Argentine enough,” or that he simply did not care about his national team.
That view was always misguided, and we can now recognize it as little more than a reflection of Argentine fans’ frustration over the team’s lack of trophies and titles, despite having one of the three greatest players in the history of the game leading their attack.
Then came Messi’s decision to retire, driven by grief and disappointment after he missed a penalty in the 2016 Copa América final against Chile. Suddenly, instead of simply directing harsh criticism at their biggest star, Argentina had to confront the reality of how difficult life could be without him. The prospect was so frightening that it sparked a massive fan campaign urging Messi to reverse his decision.
Since then, Messi has enjoyed the love of the fans. Despite Argentina’s disastrous 2018 World Cup campaign, he went on to win two Copa América titles, in 2021 and 2024, with the 2022 World Cup triumph in between, as well as reaching another World Cup final last summer.
Messi was long criticized for failing to match Diego Maradona’s achievements with the national team, but he ultimately won more titles.
This time, there will be no going back. Messi is 39 years old. Perhaps those who persuaded him to change his mind in 2016 hoped he would continue for another six years, but instead, he carried on for another 10.
There will be no reversal this time. International retirement is a final decision. Argentina will no longer be able, when things go wrong, to turn to the “superhero” in its ranks and ask him to fix everything.
The clearest example came almost at the very end, when Argentina were trailing Egypt 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining in their round-of-16 World Cup match.
Barcelona youth coaches used to talk about the state that teenage Messi would enter when signs of anger and determination appeared on his face, after which he would become an unstoppable force. That was exactly what happened in Atlanta, as Messi seemed to simply decide that this would not be his final World Cup match, and Argentina went on to win without needing extra time.
Optimists can take comfort from the fact that perhaps Argentina’s best performance under Lionel Scaloni came in a 4-1 victory over Brazil in World Cup qualifying in March 2025, a match Messi did not play. Even taking into account the strange tactical choices made by Brazil coach Dorival Júnior, Argentina produced an exceptional performance, with Leandro Paredes controlling the tempo in midfield, while Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández formed an impressive partnership with Rodrigo De Paul and Thiago Almada on the flanks, with Julián Álvarez leading the line.
But football is not only about the moments when everything goes right.
Even during difficult periods — the years of uncertainty under Edgardo Bauza and Jorge Sampaoli, when matches appeared to be slipping out of control — there was always the possibility that Messi could turn things around. Now, Argentina must deal with a future without that game-changing card capable of deciding matches.
Scaloni believes the international friendly against Benin on October 6 in Buenos Aires will give Messi the chance to “say goodbye to the fans in the way he wants.”
“It will be difficult not to cry that day. It is a privilege to be there,” he said.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner announced his international retirement at the end of August at the age of 39, but Scaloni called him up for the farewell match.
The coach explained that he wanted to lay “another brick in this building” to ensure the Argentine star could have one final match in front of his home fans.
“I did my part because I want to be there for his farewell. Since I don’t know whether I will remain here in the future, we did everything we could to allow him to play this match,” he added. Scaloni also believes the Inter Miami forward, who scored his 100th goal for the American club earlier this month, deserves to win the Ballon d’Or again, which will be announced before the end of next month, if the award is about recognizing the best player.
Tickets for Messi’s farewell match with Argentina — all 80,000 of them — sold out with ease. Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, said: “All the players who were in the squad that won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, along with their families, have also been invited to attend the best player in the world’s final tango.”
Messi has 207 international appearances and 125 goals to his name, both of which are records for Argentina.
Adidas is preparing a special shirt for Messi for the farewell match. It will feature a customized “M” emblem in place of the company’s usual logo, along with gold details on the national team crest and shirt number.
Messi is also expected to wear specially designed boots for the match, predominantly white with black and blue details and gold accents.
The post-Messi era will begin with matches against Bolivia and Burkina Faso at the end of this week. Scaloni has hinted that he will sign a new contract running through the 2028 Copa América, with an option to extend it through the 2030 World Cup. While that would provide a degree of stability, there is no hiding the fact that a new cycle has begun, just as Scaloni established a new era after the 2018 World Cup.
With the exception of Messi and Nicolás Otamendi, who will retire after the farewell match against Benin, Scaloni’s squad includes 35 players, 20 of whom participated in the most recent World Cup. Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina are absent due to lengthy suspensions, indicating a notable degree of continuity, although it is understood that Nicolás Tagliafico, 34, is also considering international retirement. Nevertheless, 12 players in the squad have three or fewer international appearances, while De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso, both over 30, will only play against Benin. This gives the new group an opportunity to prove themselves in the first two friendlies.
The biggest opportunities, at least in the short term, appear to lie in defense. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, both 28, are expected to form the starting center-back partnership, while Valentín Gómez of Real Betis and Tomás Palacios, on loan from Inter Milan to Estudiantes, are competing for backup roles.
However, with Molina suspended, Tagliafico advancing in age and Gonzalo Montiel injured, attention is focused on the full-back positions, where two 22-year-olds could establish themselves as options for the future: Agustín Giay of Brazilian club Palmeiras and Valentín Barco of Russian side Zenit.
In Messi’s absence, the tactical question also remains open. While the Brazil match showed what can be achieved through positional interchanges even without a great deal of individual creativity, Scaloni may opt to use traditional wingers. Here too, there are young options, including Lionel Flores of Boca Juniors and Roma player Matías Soulé, who could make their international debuts in the coming days.
Scaloni has chosen defender Cristian Romero as Argentina’s new captain following Messi’s international retirement. “The captain will be Romero. He was already the third captain after Messi and Nicolás Otamendi. Emiliano Martínez can also wear the armband, as can Rodrigo De Paul and Lautaro Martínez,” he said.
Romero, 28, has previously captained Argentina three times: in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Chile in 2025, in a friendly against Venezuela the same year, and against Mauritania before the 2026 World Cup.
As for replacing Messi? That is impossible — whether tactically or, perhaps more importantly, in terms of what he represented to the team’s spirit. This does not mean Argentina needs Messi to perform well. Some might even argue that Argentina played better against Brazil than it would have with Messi — or at least better than the level Messi has displayed recently — because of his limited movement and the nature of a style that required the entire tactical setup to be built around him.
That is always the risk associated with players who rely heavily on individual brilliance. But Messi maintained such an extraordinarily consistent level that the most logical and reliable option was to rely on his exceptional genius, the true beauty of which was that it could always be counted upon.
No matter how well organized the opponent’s defense was, there was always a possibility — even a strong likelihood — that Messi would find a gap. No matter how badly things were going, there was always a chance that he would rise to the occasion and settle the situation on his own.
Many teams have gained greater fluidity and a more dynamic, collective style of play after the departure of a major star. Although Argentina’s ceiling may theoretically rise, Messi provided a sense of reassurance and the hope of salvation — something Argentina will miss deeply in the period ahead.
