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Lionel Messi to make Argentina farewell appearance in October

Updated
Lionel Messi will play one final game for Argentina
Lionel Messi will play one final game for ArgentinaREUTERS / Amanda Perobelli

Lionel ⁠Messi has been called ‌up by Argentina ‌for a ‌farewell appearance ‌in a home ‌friendly against Benin in October ‌following his ⁠international retirement, ‌Argentine Football ​Association (AFA) president Claudio ​Tapia confirmed on Tuesday.

They will first play a game against Bolivia at the end of September, which will take place in Cordoba, while River Plate's Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires will stage the two fixtures against Burkina Faso and Benin on October 3rd and 6th, respectively.

Last month, FIFA ordered Argentina to play their next home match with capacity reduced to 50 per cent for breaches of its disciplinary code relating to using a sports event for making demonstrations of a non-sporting nature.

After Argentina beat England 2-1 in a tense World Cup semi-final in July, several players held up a banner saying: "The Falklands are Argentine".

The friendlies are also expected to count towards suspensions handed down after incidents following Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Spain.

Midfielder Leandro Paredes received a 10-match ban, while defender Nahuel Molina was suspended for seven games and Thiago Almada for one.

In August, Messi announced the end of a two-decade international career that included winning the 2022 World Cup and Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.