Lionel Messi to wear special Argentina shirt for final international appearance

Lionel Messi will wear a specially designed Argentina shirt when he makes his final international appearance against Benin on 6 October.

The match will be played at Estadio Monumental de River Plate, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner confirming the plans in a post on his Instagram account on Monday evening.

Messi, 39, announced his international retirement at the end of August. His Argentina career had appeared to be over following defeat by Spain in the World Cup final, but he will return to the national team for one final farewell match.

The decision to honour Messi was first revealed by federation president Claudio Tapia in a video message.

“We have decided to invite the best player in the world, an icon of our national team and our captain, Lionel Messi, for the farewell he deserves,” Tapia said. “The last tango of the best player in the world.”

Messi has won 207 international caps and led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, as well as securing a number of other honours during his international career.

His final appearance will be marked by a distinctive kit produced in collaboration with Adidas. Messi shared an image of the shirt on Instagram, accompanied by the message: “The last match, one last time on the pitch in a shirt for life.”