Rabat – Lionel Messi is set to make his last appearance with Argentina on Tuesday, October in a farewell match against Benin at El Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, bringing the curtain down on an eventful journey.
After Messi moved to Barcelona in 2000, Spain made several attempts to convince him to represent La Roja. At the time, he was playing in Spain more than in Argentina, where the national football federation had barely taken notice of him.
Five years later, Messi’s journey with Argentina began on August 17, 2005, in a friendly game against Hungary. He was subbed in on the 63rd minute, but was sent off just 47 seconds later for an alleged elbow on Vilmos Vanczák, marking a catastrophic start to what would become a historic international career.
Messi faced sharp criticism from Argentina fans, both because the national team had called up a player who spent most of his football career abroad and because he struggled to reproduce his club form with Argentina.
Messi was labeled “pecho frio”, or someone who lacked heart or fire, said Argentine journalist and author Sergio Levinsky.
The perception of Messi began to change after he led Argentina to a comeback win over Colombia in a 2011 World Cup qualifier.
The bond between Messi and Argentine fans grew stronger. After he announced his retirement from the national team following a penalty shootout defeat to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final, he received an outpouring of support from fans, who publicly pleaded with him to reconsider his decision.
The appointment of Lionel Scaloni as Argentina’s head coach marked the beginning of Messi’s golden era with the national team. He became the leader of a new generation of players, guiding Argentina to win two Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024 and to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The achievements and glory Messi brought to Argentina triggered comparisons with another Argentinian icon, Diego Maradona. Levinsky, however, rejects the comparison. “It is Messi and Maradona…They were both geniuses in different eras,” he said.
Tuesday’s match against Benin is both a farewell and a crowning to Messi’s historic journey. The goal of the match is to ensure “the best player in the world gets the home send-off he truly deserves.” according to the Argentine Football Association (AFA)
