Lionel Messi has set his date. He will step away from Argentina duty on October 6 against Benin at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, in a friendly organized as a tribute by the Argentine Football Association after his August retirement announcement.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni granted a special call-up for the occasion, and every member of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad has been invited to attend. Messi teased the plan on Instagram on Monday alongside a video of a commemorative shirt.
“One last match. A jersey for a lifetime,” he wrote.
He had first explained the decision in August.
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“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul, but I understand that it is the right time,” Messi said in comments carried by Al Jazeera.
Ronaldo’s Lisbon exit is expected, not confirmed
Cristiano Ronaldo has done the opposite: no press conference, no shirt, no dated tribute. He has simply been named in Portugal’s squad for Thursday’s UEFA Nations League opener against Wales at the Estádio José Alvalade, the ground where he began his professional career with Sporting.
The farewell framing rests on a single sourced report. Goal.com’s Moataz Elgammal, citing a Portuguese agent, reported that the 41-year-old planned to step away from international duty after the match. Neither Ronaldo nor the Portuguese Football Federation has confirmed it.
Portugal’s head coach has not treated Thursday as a goodbye, and a Goal.com match preview noted that his international career could continue beyond the 2026 World Cup as he chases the 1,000-goal career milestone.
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What the two leave behind
The tallies are staggering. Ronaldo has 146 goals in 233 caps for Portugal, records in men’s international football. Messi has 125 goals in 207 caps for Argentina, per Goal.com’s count, plus the trophies that eluded his rival: the 2022 World Cup, Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, the 2022 Finalissima and Olympic gold from Beijing 2008.
Ronaldo has already delivered the tournament farewell. In a pre-match press conference in Dallas on July 5, asked directly whether the 2026 World Cup would be his last, he replied.
“Yes, it’s my last one. Let’s go and enjoy it,” Ronaldo told reporters.
Portugal were eliminated the next day, losing to Spain in the round of 16.
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Kick-off against Wales in Lisbon is at 8:45pm local time on Thursday. Messi’s tribute in Buenos Aires is 12 days later.
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