Lionel Messi to receive University of Buenos Aires’ highest honour before Argentina farewell

Lionel Messi will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Buenos Aires before making his final appearance for Argentina.

The 39-year-old is preparing to play his last match for the national team when Argentina face Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires in the early hours of Wednesday. The game comes less than three months after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain.

Although the fixture has little competitive significance, it will serve as a celebration of Messi’s international career. The University of Buenos Aires has chosen the occasion to recognise his achievements and his contribution to representing Argentina around the world.

Highest honorary award

According to French network RMC, the university’s supreme council unanimously approved the decision to award Messi the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, its highest honorary distinction.

The honour recognises both his sporting career and his accomplishments with Argentina, as well as the role he has played in promoting the country internationally.

The university described the World Cup winner and eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient as an “example of excellence, perseverance, humility and ethical conduct”.

The award carries no academic or professional responsibilities. Messi will not be expected to lecture or teach at the university.

He will be the first footballer to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires, one of Argentina’s most prestigious educational institutions. Previous recipients have included scientists, academics and politicians from Argentina and other countries, among them French doctors Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier.

Ricardo Gelpi, the university’s dean, said the decision was intended to recognise aspects of Messi’s character as well as his achievements on the pitch.

“Beyond what all Argentinians know about Messi, and apart from the figures and statistics that confirm his sporting status, we also want to honour a humble and persistent person, a role model and ambassador for our popular culture and national identity,” Gelpi said in a statement announcing the award.

“Through this honour, we want to highlight the standing and influence of someone who, through sport and beyond it, has achieved exceptional accomplishments and become a model of excellence.”

Record-holder for Argentina

Messi is Argentina’s most-capped player, having made 207 appearances before the meeting with Benin. That match will take his total to 208.

He is also the national team’s record goalscorer with 125 goals and its leading provider of assists, having created 68 goals for the Albicelesti.

Messi captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008. He also helped the country win the Copa America in 2021 and 2024.

His international career will therefore conclude with an unprecedented academic tribute, alongside a farewell appearance for the national team.