Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou ready for Lionel Messi’s Argentina farewell

Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou says he never expected to face Lionel Messi, who is set to play his final match for Argentina against the West African side on 6 October.

The fixture will take place at Estadio Monumental, the home of River Plate, with Dandjinou expected to be in goal for Benin as Messi brings his international career to a close.

Argentina’s three-time world champions have agreed to face Benin in a friendly that will also mark Messi’s final appearance for the national team. The final selection of the Benin squad travelling to Buenos Aires was made on Thursday evening, as anticipation builds around the occasion.

Messi, 39, recently announced his retirement from international football. However, Argentina Football Association president Claudio Tapia persuaded him to play one more match, allowing him to add to his tally of 207 caps.

Dandjinou, who plays for Kruger United, told KickOff.com that the fixture would be a remarkable experience.

“We grew up watching Messi play and now to get to be on the same pitch with him will be an incredible moment,” he said.

“This is amazing.

“I never imagined this against Messi.

“I never imagined that it would happen that after watching the king of football on television all these years I will get to play against him in this special game as he retires.

“Who would ever imagined that Benin will play against Argentina in Messi’s last game?”

Despite his excitement, Dandjinou said Benin would approach the match with the same responsibility as any other international.

“This will be a great experience, but we also have a country to defend so when the game starts, we will forget about Messi and think about football,” he added.

“There is no friendly game at national team level so this will be a powerful moment.”

After the Argentina fixture, Messi will turn his attention back to Inter Miami. His 100th goal won the club the 2026 Campeones Cup early on Friday.

Dandjinou has been Benin’s first-choice goalkeeper for the past three years and has collected 23 caps under veteran manager Gernot Rohr.

He has also started four of Kruger United’s six matches this season, with Fiacre Ntwari playing the other two.

The goalkeeper made his top-flight debut against Kaizer Chiefs in Kruger’s first match of the season, five-and-a-half years after arriving in South Africa from Benin.

Before joining Kruger United just over a year ago, Dandjinou spent four-and-a-half years with Motsepe Championship club JDR Stars. His move to South Africa was facilitated by his agent, Michel Sinha.

Dandjinou was Kruger’s first-choice goalkeeper throughout their promotion campaign and was the only goalkeeper from the Motsepe Foundation Championship selected for the AFCON finals earlier this year.