Published : 25 Sep 2026, 02:48 PM
Updated : 25 Sep 2026, 02:48 PM
Lionel Scaloni says he “pushed hard” to persuade Lionel Messi to return for one final appearance with Argentina because he was not sure he would still be in charge when another opportunity came around.
Messi, who retired from international football in August following Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the World Cup final, has been called up for a farewell match against Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on Oct 6.
“I believe that a player like him deserves this. Personally, I did my part because I wanted to be at his farewell,” Scaloni is quoted as saying by Reuters.
“Since I don’t know if I would be here later, we pushed hard so that he could be in this match. We knew everything he was going through and even so, he put in the desire and effort to want to come and be able to say goodbye with his people, with the people who love him so much.”
Scaloni continued: “If we have to pay tribute, we have to do it at this moment. With him, it will never stop, but later, the magic might not be the same.”
The farewell comes little more than a month after Messi brought down the curtain on his international career.
The 39-year-old retired as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and scorer, with 207 caps and 125 goals.
He won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024 and captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup, before his final major tournament ended with a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
Messi said in his retirement message that the decision “hurt in the soul”, but that he felt the time had come to step aside.
“Thank God for making me Argentine,” he wrote in his farewell letter published by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
The Oct 6 match is the last of three home friendlies Argentina will play during the international window.
They face Bolivia in Cordoba on Sept 30 and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on Oct 3 before returning to the Monumental for Messi’s send-off against Benin.
The AFA has also confirmed that Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso will join Messi for the final friendly.
The occasion could carry added significance for Scaloni.
The 48-year-old, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup and back-to-back Copa America titles, is out of contract in December and said he expects to meet AFA President Claudio Tapia in the coming days to discuss his future.
“It is a dream come true, but that doesn’t mean I have to cling to the job forever,” Scaloni said.
“There are certain conditions we need to discuss with the president and we’ll see if we can reach an agreement.”
That uncertainty, Scaloni suggested, was part of the reason he wanted Messi’s farewell arranged now rather than left for later.
