Lionel Messi to miss Argentina v Bolivia friendly in Cordoba; farewell vs Benin on Oct 6

Lionel Messi will not play tonight for Argentina against Bolivia in an international friendly at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Cordoba on 1 October. The fixture opens Argentina’s September-October international window.

Messi has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team but opted to don the shirt one more time for a farewell appearance. He will not travel to Cordoba to compete in the Bolivia game, leaving the match as an opportunity for manager Lionel Scaloni — whose contract expires at the end of the current calendar year — to assess the squad’s future.

Argentina’s next match in the window is scheduled against Burkina Faso at the Estadio Monumental on October 3. Scaloni is expected to use that fixture to hand chances to developing players, with Nico Paz, Franco Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni mentioned as candidates for playing time.

Messi will appear only in the final match of the September-October international break, a farewell at River Plate’s home stadium against Benin on October 6. He will be joined in that fixture by Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso, and other players who were part of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup campaign but are no longer in the squad are anticipated to attend.

The Argentina captain will bring his national team career to a close with his 208th and final cap. Across those 208 matches he has scored 125 goals, helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup and a pair of Copa América titles, and led the side to World Cup finals in 2014 and 2026.

Kickoff for the Argentina v Bolivia friendly is scheduled for 5:30 am IST on 1 October. For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.