Benin coach Gernot Rohr has described his side’s forthcoming October 6th friendly against Argentina -already dubbed ‘Lionel Messi’s farewell international appearance’- as ‘a big honour,’ while stressing that his squad’s immediate focus remains two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Burkina Faso and Mauritania, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.
On Tuesday, Lionel Messi was named in Argentina’s squad for the international friendly against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, which will be his 208th and final appearance for the national team following his retirement announcement last month. Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia said the fixture would give the 39-year-old, Argentina’s all-time record scorer with 125 goals, ‘the farewell he truly deserves.’
The Franco-German trainer, who previously managed the Super Eagles, said facing Messi again carries personal significance.
‘I still have the jersey from Messi,’ Rohr told NationSports from his base in France.’ He gave it to me in Russia, so he will give me a signature, I hope, this time.’
Rohr recalled his two earlier meetings with Argentina while in charge of Nigeria including a 4-2 friendly win in Russia and the sides’ 2018 World Cup group-stage meeting, also played in Russia.
‘It was a fantastic game,’ he said of the friendly victory. ‘So, for me, it will be the third time I will play against this team.’
Rohr led the Super Eagles from 2016 to 2021, guiding Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup and a bronze-medal finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt before taking charge of Benin’s Cheetahs. His familiarity with Messi and Argentina now sits alongside a new project: building a young Beninese squad that he says will draw lasting value from the Buenos Aires trip, even as qualification business takes precedence.
‘It’s a big honour for Benin and for our young team,’ he said of the invitation to close out Messi’s farewell.
‘It will be wonderful to play there, but at first, we have two AFCON qualifiers – very important matches to play in Burkina Faso, and not even at home again,’ Rohr noted.
He added that Benin’s home fixture against Mauritania would instead be staged in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, meaning the Cheetahs face the prospect of playing both qualifiers away from home ahead of the Messi send-off.
‘Yes, it’s going to be a big experience for the young players and for everybody – for the staff, for the people of the [Beninese] federation,’ Rohr said. ‘Everybody will be happy to be there for this celebration of a big player and also the fête of football, I hope.’ He confirmed he would depart for the qualifying fixtures on Saturday, putting the Argentina friendly firmly at the back end of a demanding October schedule.
Argentina open a three-match friendly series against Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30th – their first outing since losing the World Cup final to Spain – before meeting Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3rd and Benin three days later.
Tapia has invited all of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to join the occasion, framing the Benin fixture as a celebration spanning two Messi-led triumphs: the 2022 World Cup and Copa America wins in 2021 and 2024.
Messi will bring the curtain down on a 20-year international career that began in 2005 and yielded 125 goals in 208 appearances, both national records. ‘We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on October 6th here in Argentina,’ Tapia said. The Estadio Monumental, with its 85,000 capacity, is expected to be at or near full voice for the occasion, subject to the FIFA-imposed restrictions outlined below.
Messi’s Argentina exit follows the death of his father, Jorge, last month, after which he said he had ‘serious doubts’ about continuing to play football ‘for much longer.’ Announcing his retirement from international duty, he said: ‘It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul but I understand that it is the right time.’ His club career continues regardless – his contract with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2028 season.
The occasion will nonetheless be played under restrictions. FIFA has capped capacity at Argentina’s next home fixture at 50 per cent after players displayed a ‘The Falklands are Argentine’ banner following the World Cup semi-final win over England in July, a breach of the governing body’s disciplinary code over using a sporting event to stage non-sporting demonstrations. The fixture is also expected to count towards suspensions handed down after incidents involving Argentina players following the World Cup final defeat by Spain: Leandro Paredes received a 10-match ban, Nahuel Molina was suspended for seven games, and Thiago Almada for one.
For Rohr and his Cheetahs, the Buenos Aires trip caps what he has framed as a month defined first by qualifying expediency and only then by occasion even as he acknowledged the scale of what awaits his squad on October 6th in Buenos Aires.