Messi's Last Tango: How to Watch Argentina vs Benin Farewell Friendly
Lionel Messi, 39, will play his final Argentina match on Tuesday October 6 at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, according to www.nbcsports.com.
The friendly against Benin has been dubbed "The Last Tango" per the source. Kickoff is set for 7pm ET at the home of River Plate.
Messi announced his international retirement in late August, a little over a month after driving Argentina to the World Cup Final, according to www.nbcsports.com. His 207 caps and 125 goals stand miles clear of any national challenger.
Broadcast details beyond the kickoff time and venue are not fully listed in the source, so TV channel and streaming information has not been confirmed. What is certain: the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires hosts the farewell, and Messi wears the colors of La Albiceleste one last time.
Benin is not on the list of the 44 national teams Messi has scored against, meaning he could add one final name to that file.
A CAREER IN NUMBERS
The raw numbers are staggering. Per www.nbcsports.com, Messi’s 207 caps and 125 goals for Argentina stand miles clear of any national challenger, a gap that will only widen now that the captain is stepping away.
His scoring file spans 44 different national teams. Benin is not on that list, so the farewell friendly offers a chance to add a 45th name to the ledger — though whether Messi actually scores against Benin is unconfirmed. The source only notes the possibility.
The heaviest damage has been done to South American rivals. According to the source’s list, Bolivia has conceded 11 goals to Messi, with Ecuador and Venezuela each shipping seven. Uruguay rounds out the top four with six.
The gulf between the two sides is equally wide in the FIFA rankings. Argentina sit at No. 2, while Benin check in at No. 89, per www.nbcsports.com.
If Messi finds the net at the Estadio Mas Monumental, he would close his international career with goals against 45 different nations — one final, improbable entry on a record already without peer.
THE OPPONENT: BENIN
Benin arrive in Buenos Aires with momentum, if not pedigree. They drew Burkina Faso and beat Mauritania in Africa Cup of Nations qualification before making the trip across the Atlantic, per www.nbcsports.com.
The visitors are coached by Gernot Rohr, the former Nigeria boss who knows South American opposition from years of World Cup qualifying battles. Benin’s captain is Steve Mounie, the ex-Huddersfield Town striker, per www.nbcsports.com.
The gap in class is stark. Argentina sit No. 2 in the FIFA rankings; Benin check in at No. 89, according to the source.
This is a friendly on Argentine home soil, with the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires set to host the farewell. Benin will be the supporting act, but they are not a side built to simply absorb pressure — Rohr’s teams have historically looked to sit deep and strike on the break, and Mounie gives them a physical target up front.
No confirmed Benin lineup or injury news is in the source, so how Rohr sets up against Messi remains a matter of speculation. What is clear is that the occasion belongs to the home side, and Benin’s role is to provide a final, live opponent for the greatest international career the sport has seen.
For a team ranked 87 places below their hosts, the night is less about result and more about surviving the moment.
WHAT COMES AFTER
The numbers are staggering, but the real weight of Tuesday night in Buenos Aires is what it represents. Messi will put on the colors of La Albiceleste for the final time, closing a chapter that began in 2005. The occasion, per www.nbcsports.com, is the end of an era that produced 207 caps and 125 goals — totals miles clear of any national challenger.
The immediate future, however, moves on without him. Argentina open the international break by hosting friendlies against Bolivia and Burkina Faso without Messi, per www.nbcsports.com. Those matches will be about transition, about finding the next shape of a squad that has relied on his genius for two decades.
For now, the focus has shifted entirely to Buenos Aires. Inter Miami are hoping to win MLS Cup, and Messi remains on pace for his third-straight MLS MVP Award, according to the source. But those club ambitions are parked. The franchise’s hopes, and the league’s individual honors, will have to wait their turn.
No confirmed details on Messi's post-match plans or any formal ceremony are in the source. Whether there is a grand send-off on the pitch, a speech, or a quiet exit, has not been confirmed. What is known is simpler: this friendly against a side ranked 87 places below Argentina matters because it is the last time the world’s most decorated international player wears the shirt. The scoreline will be forgotten. The occasion will not.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Kickoff for Argentina vs Benin is 7pm ET on Tuesday October 6 at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, per www.nbcsports.com. Exact TV channel and live stream details are not fully confirmed in the source material, so fans should check local listings closer to matchday.
After the final whistle, Argentina host friendlies against Bolivia and Burkina Faso without Messi, per the source. Those will be the first real glimpse of the post-Messi era, a squad learning to create chances without the man who has scored 125 international goals.
For Messi himself, the club focus shifts immediately to Inter Miami's MLS Cup hopes, with him on pace for a third-straight MLS MVP Award, according to www.nbcsports.com. Miami's playoff push and that individual honor are the next chapters, but they begin only after Buenos Aires says goodbye.
Benin, meanwhile, return to Africa Cup of Nations qualification, where they recently drew Burkina Faso and beat Mauritania, per the source. They will leave the Monumental with a story to tell; the question is whether they also leave with a Messi goal against them, adding a 45th nation to his list.
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