Javier Zanetti chose not to call Messi this week.

The former Inter captain, now vice-president at the club, told La Gazzetta dello Sport he had kept his distance from his former international team-mate in the build-up to the farewell, preferring to let him breathe before the emotional send-off at the Estadio Monumental.

“I would simply say thank you,” Zanetti said of what he would tell Messi. “Thank you for all the emotions he allowed us to experience, for his commitment.”

Zanetti framed Messi’s career as a story of recovery rather than pure talent.

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“He is an example of resilience for everyone, considering how hard he had to fight. He fell and got back up until he carried us to glory.”

Zanetti said Messi “managed to unite an entire nation”, and placed him alongside Diego Maradona as a once-in-a-generation Argentine footballer.

Lautaro Martinez named as the next captain in waiting

Zanetti used the interview to back Lautaro Martinez, the man who now wears the Inter captain’s armband he once held himself.

“Lautaro is already a leader for this national team, a major point of reference for many of his teammates, not just at Inter,” Zanetti said.

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“He will continue to make history in the Argentina shirt; he deserves it.”

Martinez drew level with Sergio Aguero on 42 Argentina goals this autumn, trailing only Messi (125) and Gabriel Batistuta (54) on the national team’s all-time list. He finished 2025-26 as Serie A’s top scorer with 17 league goals and remains Inter’s main centre-forward.

At the 2026 World Cup, Martinez contributed three goals and an assist as Argentina ran all the way to the final, where Spain won 1-0 after extra time. The defeat triggered Messi’s retirement announcement weeks later and left the captaincy question open heading into the next cycle.

The farewell at the Monumental

Messi plays Benin at the Monumental on Tuesday, with kick-off at 8pm local time. The 85,000-seat ground sold out in under two hours when tickets went on sale last month.

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The 39-year-old announced his international retirement in August, roughly six weeks after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final 1-0 to Spain. He goes into the Benin match with 207 caps and 125 goals, both national records, and will finish on 208.

In announcing his decision, Messi said he had “nothing left to give” and pointed to younger players who “deserve their chance”.

Head coach Lionel Scaloni, who was in charge for the World Cup final, remains in post and used last week’s 4-0 friendly win against Bolivia, played without Messi, to begin reshaping the squad for the next cycle.

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