In short
- Lionel Messi plays his 208th and final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
- Messi announced his retirement from the national team on 31 August, six weeks after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat by Spain.
- CD Eldense announced Messi as its new owner on 1 October, subject to authorisation from Spain’s sports council, the CSD.
- Messi’s contract with Inter Miami runs to the end of the 2028 season and is reviewed year by year.
- The Messi Cup, an Under-16 academy tournament, expanded from eight teams in 2025 to 16 teams from 25 October at Inter Miami’s facilities in Florida.
Lionel Messi plays his 208th and final match for Argentina on Tuesday, a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires. Argentina’s most-capped player and record goalscorer announced his retirement from the national team on 31 August, six weeks after the World Cup final defeat by Spain.
Why is Messi playing his last match for Argentina?
Messi said he had nothing more to give when he confirmed his retirement on 31 August. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has insisted that if Messi ever wants to carry on he can, and that there is no embarrassment in changing one’s mind, but that chapter appears closed. Goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez has said Argentina are comfortable when the other team is considered the favourite.
What will Messi do after retiring from international football?
Asked recently whether he would rather be a coach or an owner, Messi chose owner, saying a coach has to worry about too many things while an owner shapes a club’s direction from a little further back. His contract with Inter Miami runs to the end of the 2028 season, is reviewed year by year, and nobody close to him expects him to walk away a day before he has to; it is quite likely he will renew it if he feels mentally and physically up for it. As part of that contract he will hold some shares in Inter Miami when he retires, though a franchise of his own is not part of the plan.
Which clubs does Messi own?
He bought UE Cornella, a fifth-tier club on the edge of Barcelona, in April, as a nursery where young players develop. CD Eldense, in Spain’s second division, announced him as its new owner on 1 October, subject to authorisation from the Spanish sports council, the CSD, after a preliminary agreement for a majority stake in the club. Eldense will lead his football operation, and former Villarreal boss Javi Calleja was given the coaching job, with the target this season to avoid relegation.
Messi follows every Eldense match closely on his computer. After Eldense beat Real Oviedo 4-1, his first message as owner was an Instagram post reading “Aupa Deportivo”. Around a dozen sponsors came forward within a couple of days, including brands that had been in talks with the previous owners without closing a deal.
With Luis Suárez, Messi founded Deportivo LSM in Uruguay in May 2025, and the club won promotion to the country’s third tier in its first season. A wider network of clubs was discussed at the start, but the sums needed to lift teams up the divisions cooled that idea quickly and it is not on the table today. The focus is whether Eldense can establish itself in La Liga.
What is the Messi Cup?
Youth football is his other interest. The Messi Cup, a tournament for Under-16 academies, began in 2025 with eight teams and has doubled to 16 for this year’s edition, which runs from 25 October at Inter Miami’s facilities in Florida. The field includes Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Arsenal and UE Cornella, plus Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario club where Messi played as a child.
Frequently asked questions
When is Lionel Messi’s last match for Argentina?
Messi plays his 208th and final Argentina match in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
Which football clubs does Lionel Messi own?
Messi bought UE Cornella, a fifth-tier club on the edge of Barcelona, in April, and CD Eldense announced him as its new owner on 1 October, subject to authorisation from Spain’s CSD. With Luis Suárez he also founded Uruguay’s Deportivo LSM in May 2025.
Will Messi stay at Inter Miami?
His Inter Miami contract runs to the end of the 2028 season and is reviewed year by year. Nobody close to him expects him to leave early, and it is likely he renews if he feels mentally and physically up for it.
What is the Messi Cup?
It is a tournament for Under-16 academies that began in 2025 with eight teams and has doubled to 16 for this year’s edition, starting 25 October at Inter Miami’s facilities in Florida.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
