Messi called up by Argentina to make farewell appearance following international retirement
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
Sept 15 : Lionel Messi has been called up by Argentina to make a farewell appearance in a home friendly in October following his international retirement, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed on Tuesday.
"We invited the best player in the world to play, the icon of our selection, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to have a deserved farewell on October 6, here in Argentina," AFA President Claudio Tapia said on social media.
Argentina will play three home friendlies during the September 21-October 6 FIFA international window, their first matches since the World Cup.
They will take on Benin in Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium on October 6, where Messi, who announced his retirement from international football last month, has been invited to play his farewell match.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Argentina will also face Bolivia at Cordoba's Mario Kempes Stadium on September 30 before moving to Buenos Aires to host Burkina Faso on October 3.
The Bolivia match will be played with capacity reduced by 50 per cent as part of FIFA sanctions relating to incidents during this year's World Cup.
"Footballers Messi, (Rodrigo) De Paul and (Giovani) Lo Celso will be in attendance to take part in the final friendly on October 6. Meanwhile, the names of the players called up from the local league will be announced on Friday," the AFA said in a statement announcing the squad.
Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada must serve suspensions of 10, seven and one match respectively for their roles in an altercation after the World Cup final against Spain.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Juan Musso, Geronimo Rulli.
Defenders: Agustin Giay, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Juan Foyth, Facundo Medina, Nicolas Tagliafico, Roman Vega.
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolas Paz, Franco Mastantuono.
Forwards: Matias Soule, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gonzalez, Gianluca Prestianni, Jose Manuel Lopez, Santiago Castro, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi.
Newsletter
Recommended Read
Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read
A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app