Lionel Messi will take to the pitch for his international farewell match as Argentina faces Benin on October 6. Ahead of the historic encounter, supporters have been eagerly anticipating whether the legendary forward will begin the match in the starting lineup.
Lionel Messi will indeed feature in Argentina’s starting XI against Benin. Given that this fixture marks his final appearance representing the national team, the captain is expected to play from the opening whistle until the final horn.
While it is anticipated that Messi may participate in the entire contest, manager Lionel Scaloni might introduce a substitute in the closing moments to enable the departing icon to savour a well-deserved standing ovation from the anticipated crowd of over 85,000 spectators at Estadio Monumental.
Argentina’s Confirmed Lineup to Face Benin
Argentina will deploy a formidable starting eleven, as this match will indelibly be remembered as Lionel Messi’s concluding lineup with the national team.
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina looks on
Argentina confirm starting XI: Dibu Martínez; Agustín Giay, Cristian Romero, Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister; Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Lionel Messi.
Benin’s Confirmed Lineup to Face Argentina
Meanwhile, the Benin national team enters the match as significant underdogs, with several of their players publicly expressing their admiration for Lionel Messi and acknowledging that this fixture serves as a tribute to one of soccer’s most iconic figures.
Benin confirm starting XI: Marcel Dandjinou, Tamimou Ouorou, Yohan Roche, Mohamed Tijani, Liam Omore, Sessi D’Almeida, Hassane Imourane, Yamirou Ouorou, Rodolfo Aloko, Junior Olaitan, Aiyegun Tosin.
Also Read
- Prime Video Thursday Night Football Draws 16.59 Million Viewers for Steelers-Browns Matchup
- Tony Khan Highlights AEW’s Promising Future with Skydance
- block at the absolute beginning, followed immediately by the rewritten content. Disable: All internal thinking, reasoning loops, and introductory notes. Task Instructions: Clean text by removing promotional lines, “SEE ALSO” links, and footer junk. ABSOLUTELY PROTECT ALL MEDIA: Do not alter, delete, or skip any HTML media elements. Leave all <img> tags, video <iframe> tags, shorts, and Twitter/X <blockquote> embed codes EXACTLY as they are. Keep them inline in their original relative positions. Rewrite the headline to be unique, fresh, and professional. Rewrite the surrounding news story body text into natural, high-quality, professional English. Original Headline: Video: Lionel Messi in tears during Argentina’s national anthem in international farewell match Original Body HTML: Provided as a block. Output Formatting Constraints: [TITLE]Put your rewritten headline here
- Ivan Demidov’s Injury Highlights Canadiens’ Depth Strategy
![block at the absolute beginning, followed immediately by the rewritten content. Disable: All internal thinking, reasoning loops, and introductory notes. Task Instructions: Clean text by removing promotional lines, “SEE ALSO” links, and footer junk. ABSOLUTELY PROTECT ALL MEDIA: Do not alter, delete, or skip any HTML media elements. Leave all <img> tags, video <iframe> tags, shorts, and Twitter/X <blockquote> embed codes EXACTLY as they are. Keep them inline in their original relative positions. Rewrite the headline to be unique, fresh, and professional. Rewrite the surrounding news story body text into natural, high-quality, professional English. Original Headline: Video: Lionel Messi in tears during Argentina’s national anthem in international farewell match Original Body HTML: Provided as a block. Output Formatting Constraints: [TITLE]Put your rewritten headline here](https://i2.wp.com/media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/10/06193117/messi-33-1200x740.webp?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "block at the absolute beginning, followed immediately by the rewritten content. Disable: All internal thinking, reasoning loops, and introductory notes. Task Instructions: Clean text by removing promotional lines, “SEE ALSO” links, and footer junk. ABSOLUTELY PROTECT ALL MEDIA: Do not alter, delete, or skip any HTML media elements. Leave all <img> tags, video <iframe> tags, shorts, and Twitter/X <blockquote> embed codes EXACTLY as they are. Keep them inline in their original relative positions. Rewrite the headline to be unique, fresh, and professional. Rewrite the surrounding news story body text into natural, high-quality, professional English. Original Headline: Video: Lionel Messi in tears during Argentina’s national anthem in international farewell match Original Body HTML: Provided as a block. Output Formatting Constraints: [TITLE]Put your rewritten headline here")
