Lionel Messi’s Argentina farewell game kicks off

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi plays his Argentina farewell game on Tuesday against Benin. The game, held at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium, kicked off at 8:30 p.m. Buenos Aires time.

The event is a massive celebration for Argentine football fans.

The stadium was packed long before the game kicked off, with fans rushing in the thousands to send off Argentina’s latest and greatest star. The ground was covered with flags with messages from across the country.

People with signs reading “I don’t have a ticket, but I came anyway” could be seen at the stadium entrance, as Buenos Aires traffic collapsed near the Monumental.

The magnitude of the occasion even reached the rival players, with Benin’s defender Mohamed Tijani admitting on Monday they would be “enjoying the game.” 

“There’s no special plan to stop Messi. We’ll enjoy it, and that’s it,” he said.

The Benin squad was celebrated by the Argentine fans, earning an ovation as they stepped into the central circle.

Introduction time proved emotional as well, with the stadium’s ruckus exploding as the announcer called Messi’s name. The name of World Cup-winning head coach Lionel Scaloni, whose renewal at the helm of the team is still open, also sent the fans into overdrive.

Before the match, a giant football-shirt-shaped flag carried by over 80 people was unfurled on the pitch. The flag, which mimicked the shirt used in Messi’s final game, had the message “Thank you, 10” on it.

After an impressive set of fireworks, the national anthem was sung by Malvinas War veteran and musician Fabio Santana, bringing tears to Scaloni’s eyes, and the matched kicked off.

Activities at the fan fest Ahead of the match, plenty of fans joined celebrations at the “Gracias, Leo” fan zone to take part in the games, activities and music concerts. A mural put up for fans to leave messages for Messi was packed to the brim with words of love for the star.

The Monumental rocked ahead of the game, with thunderous chants coming down from the stands, including the Qatar 2022 hit “Muchachos” and the historic “If you don’t jump, you’re an Englishman.”

It wasn’t all good news for the Argentine Football Association and Argentina. The sight of fans pleading at the turnstiles after discovering they had been sold fake tickets wasn’t unusual. Chants against AFA president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia also came down thundering from the stands.

The 39-year-old star announced his decision to retire from international duty in August, with a heartfelt message posted on his Instagram account. 

At the time, he said it was “a decision that hurts in [his] soul,” but that he understood “the time has come.”

In early September, the AFA announced that Messi would take the pitch for a final game, bringing the curtain down on 21 years representing Argentina.

Editorial disclaimer: Although the UK refers to the territory as the “Falkland Islands,” Argentina strongly contests this name. The Buenos Aires Herald uses “Malvinas” to refer to the islands.