Messi called into Argentina squad for farewell friendly against Benin on October 6

Lionel Messi has been selected by Argentina to make a farewell appearance in a home friendly against Benin at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium on 6 October, the Argentine Football Association confirmed.

“We invited ⁠the best player in ⁠the world ​to play, the icon of our selection, our captain Lionel Andrés Messi, to have a deserved farewell on 6 October, here in Argentina,” the AFA president, Claudio Tapia, said on social media.

Argentina will play three home friendlies during the FIFA international window from 21 September to 6 October, their first matches since the World Cup. They will meet Bolivia at Córdoba’s Mario Kempes Stadium on 30 September, face Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on 3 October, and host Benin at the Monumental on 6 October. The Bolivia fixture will be held with capacity reduced by 50% as part of FIFA sanctions relating to incidents during this year’s World Cup.

The AFA said footballers Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso will be in attendance to take part in the final friendly on 6 October, and added that the names of players called up from the local league will be announced on Friday.

Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada must serve suspensions of 10 matches, seven matches and one match respectively for their roles in an altercation after the World Cup final against Spain.

Colombia midfielder James Rodríguez retired from international football on Tuesday after earning 131 caps and scoring 31 goals; he made his senior debut in 2011. “Thank ​you for every match, every joy, every tear and every dream we ⁠shared. Defending the colours of the Colombia national team was one of the ⁠greatest honours of my life,” Rodríguez said in ​a video posted ‌on social media.

The 35-year-old represented Colombia at three World Cups and four Copa América tournaments and often captained the side; he rose to prominence at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot as Colombia reached the quarter-finals, and his volley against Uruguay in the last 16 earned him FIFA’s Puskas Award.

Rodríguez signed for Colombian side Atlético Nacional last week on a deal running until next June after leaving Major League Soccer club Minnesota United.

Argentina’s next scheduled fixture is against Bolivia at Córdoba’s Mario Kempes Stadium on 30 September.