Messi arrives in Argentina ahead of farewell game with national team

Lionel Messi arrived in Argentina on Friday ahead of his farewell appearance for the national team, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner set to play against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

The Argentine Football Association said the friendly had been organised to ensure that “the best player in the world gets the home send-off he truly deserves”.

Messi, who announced his international retirement on August 31, flew from Miami with his family on a private jet and landed in his hometown of Rosario, about 300 kilometres north of Buenos Aires.

Several members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad are expected to join the celebrations. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina, however, will miss the occasion after Roma declined to release them for international duty.

The match against Benin will mark the end of Messi’s 21-year international career with Argentina. He has scored 125 goals for the national team and led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar.

Messi has also featured in two other World Cup finals during his international career. Argentina lost to Germany in the 2014 final and were beaten by Spain in this year’s final.

The 39-year-old will not feature in Argentina’s other matches during the current international window. Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 on Wednesday and are scheduled to face Burkina Faso on Saturday.

Messi’s farewell comes after more than two decades at the heart of Argentina’s national team, during which he became the country’s most decorated player and helped end a 36-year wait for a World Cup title.