Argentina’s most familiar canvas has been redrawn for a single fixture. Instead of the two sky-blue bars running down a white base, the shirt Lionel Messi will wear against Benin is inverted: a sky-blue background broken by one broad white stripe down the centre, with tonal rays of the Sun of May radiating across the torso.
Messi previewed the design on Instagram on Tuesday alongside a short video of the back of the shirt.
His caption read: “One last match. A jersey for a lifetime,”
The chest carries an unusually personal touch. Messi’s own signature ‘M’ logo, cast in metallic gold, replaces the standard Adidas performance mark on the right, Footy Headlines reported. On the left, the three-star Argentina crest is finished in gold, the crew-neck collar and sleeve cuffs are black with gold edging, and a small Sun of May sits below the rear collar.
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On the back, “MESSI” and the number 10 appear in gold, framed by a sunburst motif that echoes the Argentine flag.
6 October at the Monumental in Buenos Aires
The kit will not appear beyond a single evening. Argentina host Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on 6 October, in a friendly arranged so the send-off could take place at home.
Nicolas Otamendi will mark his own international farewell on the same night, having stepped away from the squad after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat in July.
Retirement confirmed on 31 August
Messi confirmed his international retirement on 31 August, closing 21 years with the national team.
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“It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep down, but I understand that the time has come,” he wrote at the time, as reported by Al Jazeera.
He leaves as Argentina’s record cap holder and record scorer, with 207 appearances and 125 goals. His honours with La Albiceleste include the 2022 World Cup, the 2021 and 2024 Copa América and an Olympic gold. The 2026 tournament ended with a 1-0 defeat to Spain after extra time in the final, denying him a second world title in his last major appearance.
Kick-off details for the Benin friendly have not yet been published by the Argentine Football Association.
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