Messi to make Benin farewell as Argentina begin life without him
Lionel Messi will return a week on Wednesday for his formal farewell in a friendly against Benin, and Argentina will play two matches beforehand that mark the start of their post-Messi era. Those two games will be the first occasions in which the national team must operate without the forward who announced his retirement and will not reverse that decision.
Messi’s international career divides into two distinct phases: an early period when critics questioned his fit for Argentina and his commitment, and a second phase after his brief retirement following a missed penalty in the 2016 Copa América final, when public pressure persuaded him to return. Since coming back he has won two Copas América, a World Cup and reached another World Cup final, and he is 39 years old; the 2016 reversal yielded 10 additional years of international football rather than the six some had hoped for, and this retirement, the source says, will not be overturned.
Argentina have previously relied on Messi as a late-game corrective, a trait illustrated in their World Cup last-16 match against Egypt when they trailed 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining in Atlanta and recovered to win without extra time. Barcelona youth team coaches used to speak of the teenage Messi “getting the face on”, at which point he would be unstoppable, and that capacity to change games late provided Argentina with a psychological and tactical safety net.
There is evidence Argentina can perform without Messi: their most complete display under Lionel Scaloni arguably came in a 4-1 victory over Brazil in a World Cup qualifier in March 2025, when Messi did not play. Even allowing for the odd tactical choices of the opposing coach, Dorival Júnior, Argentina were exceptional in that match, with Leandro Paredes anchoring midfield while Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández linked with Rodrigo De Paul, Thiago Almada on the flanks and Julián Alvarez at centre-forward.
Scaloni has hinted he will sign a contract extension that would take him through to the 2028 Copa América with an option to the 2030 World Cup, a move that would provide continuity as a new cycle begins. Other than Messi and Nicolás Otamendi, who are retiring after the Benin valediction, Scaloni named a 35-man squad that included 20 players who were at the World Cup; with Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina serving lengthy bans, that represents a notable degree of continuity, although Nicolás Tagliafico, at 34, is understood to be considering his future.
The squad also contains a significant infusion of youth: 12 players in the selection had played three internationals or fewer, and De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso, both in their thirties, will play only against Benin, giving the newer cohort opportunities in the first two friendlies. Defensively, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, both 28, appear likely to form the first-choice central pairing, while Valentín Gómez of Real Betis and Tomás Palacios, on loan at Estudiantes from Inter, are competing to be back-up options.
Full-back positions look set to be among the most contested areas with Nahuel Molina suspended, Tagliafico ageing and Gonzalo Montiel injured; two 22-year-olds, Agustín Giay of Palmeiras and Román Vega of Zenit, are presented in the squad as candidates to stake claims. In attack and wide areas there is also a selection question over formation: Scaloni may favour more traditional wingers, and young options such as Leonel Flores of Boca Juniors and Roma’s Matias Soulé are likely to make their debuts in the coming fixtures.
The immediate implication is that Argentina will begin to adjust tactical and personnel plans over the next week, with friendlies against Bolivia and Burkina Faso scheduled before Messi’s Benin send-off; Scaloni’s proposed extension would aim to maintain managerial stability through the 2028 Copa América with an option to the 2030 World Cup as the squad enters its next phase.