Argentina sending Lionel Messi off with farewell game in October vs. Benin

There will be one last tango for Lionel Messi with the Argentina national team.

The 2022 world champion announced his international retirement last month, but the Argentina Football Association announced Tuesday, Sept. 15, that Messi will be sent off at an Oct. 6 friendly match against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

"I want to tell you that after a chat we had with the manager of the national team, Lionel Scaloni, we've made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the emblem of our national team, our caption Lionel Andres Messi so he is able to have the goodbye he really deserves on October 6 here in Argentina," AFA president Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia said in a video.

Messi's farewell match in the stadium, which seats more than 85,000 fans, also will include other players from the 2022 World Cup winning team and their families.

Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso were named on Scaloni's roster but will only attend the Oct. 6 match for the tributes.

Regulars like goalkeeper Dibu Martinez, forwards Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, and center backs Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez will…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/