Lionel Messi invited to play final Argentina friendly against Benin
Argentina has invited Lionel Messi to play in a farewell friendly match against Benin on October 6 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Retirement announcement and squad call
Messi announced his retirement from international soccer on August 31. The Argentina federation president confirmed that the national team head coach invited him to participate in this specific match. He will leave the squad as the all-time leading scorer with 125 goals in 207 games.
World Cup winners included in squad
The federation also decided to invite all 2022 World Cup winners who played with Messi in Qatar. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso will join the squad exclusively for this October 6 fixture. Their names were announced alongside the confirmation that Messi would be present.
Other upcoming friendlies scheduled
Argentina is set to face Bolivia on September 30 before hosting Burkina Faso on October 3. The match against Bolivia will be played with capacity reduced by 50 percent due to sanctions. These games mark the team's first matches since the World Cup in Qatar.
3 outlets, different leads
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ESPN
Messi named to Argentina squad for Oct. 6 farewell game
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ABC News Australia
Messi offered farewell by Argentina after international retirement
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The Guardian
Lionel Messi called up by Argentina to make farewell appearance in friendly
Reported by
3 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.