Benin Prepare for Messi's Final Argentina Match in Buenos Aires
Benin face Argentina in Buenos Aires on Tuesday for Lionel Messi's final international match, with captain Steve Mounie attending despite injury and collectors eyeing Messi's special-edition shirt.
Benin, a small West African nation often overshadowed by neighbouring Nigeria, will step into the global spotlight on Tuesday when they face Argentina in Buenos Aires. The friendly at Estadio Monumental will be Lionel Messi's final international match, and a specially designed Argentina kit has been created to mark the occasion. Benin's squad includes players from leagues in Finland, Switzerland's second tier, and the South African Premiership.
Benin captain Steve Mounie, who plays for Bundesliga side FC Augsburg and previously featured for Huddersfield Town, will miss the game through injury. He told BBC Sport he paid for his own plane ticket to join the squad and support the team, saying he wanted to see the match from a pitch-side view. Mounie, a regular with the national side for over a decade, noted he had never played for Benin outside Africa before this fixture.
Mounie described Benin as a disciplined, family-like team with young talent, pressing football, and a willingness to fight together. He said the result of the friendly is largely inconsequential, but selected players have a chance to enhance their reputations and that of Beninese football. He also compared Benin's unity to Argentina's team spirit, calling Messi a father figure to the Albiceleste.
Argentina warmed up for the fixture by defeating Burkina Faso 7-0, and many expect a similar scoreline. Messi is unlikely to play the full 90 minutes; a more likely scenario is that he is substituted in the second half, allowing the sold-out crowd to bid farewell to Argentina's greatest sports star. After the final whistle, a rush towards the World Cup-winning captain is expected as players seek to swap shirts.
Doug Bierton, founder of Classic Football Shirts, said acquiring a Messi match-worn shirt is incredibly tough because every player wants to swap with him. He called it the first time a legend has bowed out with a special-edition shirt and ranked the jersey alongside Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt from the 1986 World Cup, which sold for £7.1m in May 2022. Bierton predicted that Messi's Argentina team-mates, including close friend Rodrigo De Paul, and the kit man may also pursue the shirt.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
