Argentine football is preparing to bid farewell to a historic era as Lionel Messi's final match in his national team's jersey approaches, in a tribute that reflects the status the "Albiceleste" captain holds in the team's history.
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Lionel Scaloni, the coach of the Argentine national team, confirmed that the number 10 jersey will remain vacant in the upcoming friendly matches, and that Messi will wear it in his farewell match against Benin on October 6 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Scaloni said the national team "will not give the number 10 to any player until Leo's match," indicating that the shirt will remain reserved for Messi during the matches against Bolivia and Burkina Faso before his final appearance with the national team.
Messi had announced his retirement from international football last August, before being invited to participate in a farewell match against Benin, after agreeing with the Argentine Football Association to play a final match in front of the fans in Buenos Aires.
Argentina are scheduled to play Bolivia on September 30, then face Burkina Faso on October 3, before Messi concludes his international career against Benin on the 6th of the same month.
According to the Argentine Football Association, Messi will only participate in the Benin match as part of this series of friendlies.
The match against Benin will be Messi's last international appearance with Argentina, after a career spanning more than two decades, during which he won the 2022 World Cup and two Copa America titles, in addition to achieving numerous records while wearing the national team jersey.
Messi has already revealed the special shirt he will wear in his farewell match, bearing his name and the number 10 in gold, in a design created specifically for this historic occasion.
As Messi’s departure from the national team draws near, the outlines of a new phase have begun to emerge, with Scaloni confirming that defender Cristian Romero will take over the captaincy of Argentina after the historic leader.
As for the identity of the player who will wear the number 10 shirt after Messi, the coaching staff has not yet decided, according to Scaloni’s statements, who left the decision until after the farewell match.
Thus, the number 10 will not be present with Argentina in the matches against Bolivia and Burkina Faso, before Messi appears with it for the last time against Benin, in a scene that officially puts an end to an exceptional chapter in the history of the Argentine national team.
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