The Argentina shirt that has not been off Lionel Messi’s back for two decades will come off for the last time at 8pm local time on Tuesday at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Argentina face Benin in a friendly the national federation has titled “The Last Tango”, a one-off, ceremonial fixture built around Messi, who announced his international retirement on August 31 after the Albiceleste’s World Cup final defeat to Spain in July. He enters the match with 207 caps and 125 goals, both Argentina records, according to NBC Sports.

The invitation was formalised by federation president Claudio Tapia, who said the AFA had decided “to invite the best player in the world, our national team emblem, our captain, Lionel Andrés Messi, so he can have the goodbye he truly deserves on Oct. 6 here in Argentina,” per Yahoo Sports. Tapia added that every member of the 2022 Qatar-winning squad had also been invited to join Messi, with their families, on the night.

Scaloni: ‘There will never be anyone like him’

Head coach Lionel Scaloni has barely tried to dampen the mood.

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“I believe that a player like him deserves that. And I personally contributed my bit because I want to be at his farewell,” Scaloni told reporters.

“For me, getting to coach him was the ultimate experience. It was a dream. There will never be anyone like him.”

The Monumental sold out quickly, and Scaloni admitted the demand was far above anything the stadium could absorb. “If there were five Monumental stadiums, they would have been full. I received messages from everywhere and I can’t keep up with telling people how difficult it is to get tickets,” he said.

Mastantuono scores three days before the farewell

The squad transition is already visible on the pitch. In Buenos Aires on October 3, Argentina beat Burkina Faso 7-0 in a tune-up friendly, with Franco Mastantuono, the 18-year-old on loan at Fiorentina from Real Madrid, scoring his first senior Argentina goal from close range in the 57th minute. Como’s Nico Paz and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni also found the net.

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“I’m very happy to wear the national team shirt again. I’m thrilled because I also managed to get on the scoresheet today,” Mastantuono said afterwards.

“I know there are huge expectations placed on me; I embrace it, but I also have to play for myself and try to enjoy it. Being in the national team alongside so many experienced players helps me a lot.”

Mastantuono is one of several young players carried over for Benin, where Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso and Nicolás Otamendi reconvene with the group after sitting out the Bolivia and Burkina Faso friendlies.

The No. 10 shirt sits empty for now

Scaloni has made one promise: the No. 10 jersey will not be handed to anyone until after Messi has walked off the Monumental pitch. The AFA will then choose between Mastantuono and Paz, with no rotation and no interim holder, one player, one shirt. Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho, left out of Argentina’s 2026 World Cup squad in May, is not in the current group.

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Kick-off against Benin is at 8pm local time on Tuesday, with the game shown on ViX and Prime Video in the Americas.

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