For the international farewell of Argentine flea Lionel Messi, the Argentine Football Association organized a jubilee at the Estadio Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, to celebrate its star. This match, which allowed the world of the beautiful game to experience the last dance of the native of Rosario under the Albiceleste jersey, was played against the Cheetahs of Benin. Ranked 93rd in the FIFA rankings at the time the match took place, the Beninese team presented a more than encouraging face against the 2022 world champions and reigning world runners-up. Beyond the sporting aspect, Benin ticked other boxes of its revelation, which some experts on Beninese sports highlighted through this article.
Mémo Kouton, sports columnist: “The Cheetahs did not just make up the numbers”
It was more than a friendly match. It was a farewell evening, a celebration, a moment suspended in time. And in the middle of this Argentine celebration, Benin played its part: that of a respected, respectful, dignified guest, and above all, of a team that understood the symbolic stakes of its presence. Facing a pumped-up Argentina, which had come to pay homage to its living god, Lionel Messi, the Cheetahs did not just make up the numbers. They held their ground, absorbed the blow, and above all, they learned.
An honorable presentation of Benin
In the cauldron of the Monumental, in front of more than 80,000 supporters devoted to Messi’s cause, Benin displayed tactical discipline and defensive solidity that surprised. Admittedly, the final score (3-0) does not lie about the hierarchy. But it does not tell the whole story (so much did the content, character, and will of the players captivate). The Cheetahs resisted for 45 minutes without conceding a goal, limited the damage against an Argentine offensive armada, and even dared to launch a few well-constructed counter-attacks. The Beninese goalkeepers were heroic, making several decisive saves that avoided a heavier score. The attitude was professional, uninhibited, without provocation. Just football, played with heart and humility.
The added value of this match for Benin:
An unforgettable experience for the players: facing a selection of this caliber, in a mythical stadium, against world-class players, is a life-sized football lesson. The young Cheetahs were able to measure the gap, but also note that, during sequences, they were not ridiculous.
Increased international visibility: this match, broadcast worldwide, offered Benin an exceptional showcase. The names of certain Beninese players were pronounced by international commentators. Scouts were able to watch them evolve in a high-pressure context.
Mental preparation for upcoming deadlines: this type of confrontation forges character. The Cheetahs now know that they can hold out for 60, 70 minutes against a giant without collapsing. This is precious confidence capital for the future, particularly with a view to upcoming African competitions.
A message sent to the sub-region: Benin did not tremble. It did not give up. It showed that it was a structured team, capable of holding its ground even in adversity. This is a strong signal sent to neighbors and future opponents.
A historic moment for Beninese football: in a few years, people will say: “Do you remember, we played against Messi, for his last match, in Argentina.” That is not nothing. It is a page of history being written for Beninese football.
In summary, I could say that Benin returned from Buenos Aires with a defeat on the clock, but with much more than that in its luggage: experience, pride, and the conviction that the path traveled is real. The Cheetahs did not come to make up the numbers. They came to learn, grow, and exist. And on that level, the mission is accomplished. Now onto the next deadlines. Benin has proven that it deserves its place on the map of African football. It remains to consolidate it.
François-d’Assise Amassiwan
Journalist at A+ Benin: “For Benin, this encounter represents a very high-level sporting experience.”
The 3-0 defeat should not make us forget that Benin delivered an interesting first period against an Argentina superior technically and collectively. The Cheetahs showed organization, discipline, and concentration, managing to keep the score at 0-0 at halftime. The second half further revealed the gap in level, particularly when Argentina accelerated and the individual quality of its players, starting with Lionel Messi, made the difference.
For Benin, this encounter nevertheless represents a very high-level sporting experience. Facing players of this dimension allows the Cheetahs to concretely measure the requirements of international football: execution speed, technical quality, tactical intelligence, and the capacity to resist pressure.
The added value is also media and symbolic. Benin will remain associated with Lionel Messi’s last international appearance with Argentina, in front of a packed Monumental to celebrate the Pulga’s “last dance”. Sessi D’Almeida’s gesture, presenting him with a gift and a letter, adds a human and fraternal dimension to this evening. Furthermore, we all saw how amusingly, thanks to his interviews, Mohamed Tijani became the darling of the Argentine public.
This exposure also constitutes an opportunity to better promote Beninese football and its players internationally. But the real challenge begins now: this one-off visibility must be transformed into lasting capital for the football and the image of Benin. The value of this match cannot therefore be summarized by the 3-0 score; it also lies in the experience gained, the visibility obtained, and the trace left in the history of football.
Marwane Salou, Spokesperson for CNS-B, Beninese sports stakeholder:
“Benin revealed itself more in a single match than in many decades of practicing this sport”
Indeed, Tuesday, October 6, 2026, was a memorable and historic day for Beninese football because never in collective memory, in the memory of sports enthusiasts, has there been so many cameras on a national team of Benin. Since Benin joined CAF and international institutions in 1963, it has never had so many cameras trained on it. AS, El Mundo, Marca, BBC, Canal +, all the television stations of the entire world were trained to see Lionel Messi’s farewell. Everyone was there to see a man, an icon, one of the greatest, the second god of Argentina and for all those who love football, the greatest if not the second greatest, an icon who is stepping out for his last, everyone was there, everything was united to project Benin.
Then beyond the score, there is also this success that Benin experienced through the government or through the actors who were around the team. It is knowing how to sell the destination Benin through what the players wore and this speech they had with Lionel Messi by also inviting him to come visit Benin and the government’s letter to the Argentines. I believe that everything that was staged for the event is a complete success. It put Benin on orbit. Benin revealed itself more in a single match than in many decades of practicing this sport as far as I know.
As I was saying, the first added value is the cameras trained on the entire team. The second is the destination Benin that we sold. The third is the young Beninese who distinguished themselves, even if it is for 45 minutes, they looked, as we say vulgarly, in a language from home, Fon (editor’s note). They looked these Argentinians in the face. They almost played on equal terms. They even had opportunities to score and to put this team in doubt. I think these are truly hard-won gains for Benin. And so, behind this diplomacy that allows people to discover or know Benin better, there are possibilities for tourists to also know Benin. And so, without having taken a rebate on ticket sales, on TV rights, Benin can benefit from yesterday evening through culture, through tourism. So, it is all beneficial for Benin, this outing. Me, I would not want to comment on the score because the behavior of the players already pleases me, all of them. There are false notes and I hope that the coach and the technical staff will take that into account because the goal is November. It is not the October match. It is the two confrontations against the Central African Republic and therefore, we just need to learn a lesson, build on what was a success. Rodolfo Aloko, Yamirou, Tamimou, the goalkeeper, all those who came out of our championship and who succeeded and who proved that we are not that bad in front of a team that played the last two World Cup finals and won two Copas América, that is no small feat and especially in front of Lionel Messi, they were not mediocre and so we have everything to gain and we must take advantage of and maximize what happened yesterday.
Abib Ishola Arouna, A+ Benin Sports Journalist:
“I don’t know if in terms of visibility for a country, one could hope for better.”
Right away, I would like to say that this kind of match is not analyzed primarily from the point of view of the result. Because the essential or main objective was elsewhere. Celebrating a man who marked or rewrote the history of his discipline, the history of football, perhaps one of the best players in the history of football. It is an honor that Benin was designated. It is even a privilege. It is almost surrealist that out of more than 200 countries making up FIFA, it was Benin that was designated for Lionel Messi’s last dance. So, from that moment on, it is a privilege and the result takes second place. However, when one has to look at the match, there are positive points. Globally, Argentina logically dominated the match. It could perhaps have ended in a 5 or 6 to 0. Lionel Messi could have gotten a hat-trick or four goals in this match because there were opportunities where perhaps under the impulse of emotion, he was a bit clumsy and that is not entirely displeasing to the Cheetahs. But we noted that the Benin team played without complexes, meaning it was not a team that was afraid of the opponent in front of them. The Cheetahs respected the opponent but bravely played their chance. Meaning we could see at times beautiful sequences, we could see for example boys like Yamirou totally uninhibited for his young age, those are positive points on which we can count for the future. But as I say, the essential was not there. The essential is to celebrate this match, it is a match that will be talked about for history. In 20 years, we will talk about it again. In 30 years, people will say it is with Benin that Lionel Messi played his last encounter, after that we will remember the score much less.
In terms of added value, it is first an unequaled global exposure. Meaning I don’t know if in terms of visibility for a country, one could hope for better. Because for two weeks, three weeks, the entire world, the football planet was only talking about Benin. Who is this opponent? Why choose this opponent? What did Benin have so particular that Argentina, the Argentine federation decided to choose it. This makes it so perhaps there is more research on the country than there has ever been. So in terms of exposure, that is a huge added value. For the players, it is a prestige to have played Lionel Messi in their career and especially at the moment when he is preparing to hang up his boots with the Argentine team. Thus for me, these are the two essential added values. After that, the rest, will this match allow revealing players, did this match highlight a certain number of players, will this match allow scouts to follow this or that player from the Cheetahs side, there I am a bit more divided, I am very divided because well a football match in these conditions despite everything we say does not meet the total conditions of a football match so will the scouts draw many lessons, for me, no. The technical staff of Benin, Yes. It can show that the Cheetahs remain relaxed, are not afraid of opponents, after that the scouts, I believe a little less because everyone’s head was in the party for Lionel Messi.
Charles Titigoueti, President of the Atlantic Football League: “The diplomatic vector of football is strongly activated.”
This international friendly match which pitted Benin against Argentina and which constituted Lionel Messi’s last match with the national team of Argentina which was played yesterday, not to say early this morning, this match holds several importances. This match can be analyzed from several angles. I admit that before the match was played, we thought that the diplomatic aspect took precedence over the sporting aspect. Because there is the diplomatic aspect, the sporting aspect, the economic aspect, and many others, but when we look before the match was played, we saw that it was much more the diplomatic aspect for the
