Messi offered farewell by Argentina after international retirement

Lionel Messi has been invited by Argentina to make a farewell appearance in a home friendly in October following his international retirement. Messi, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, announced his retirement from international matches earlier this month. The 39-year-old has not confirmed whether he will join the team for the friendly in October. "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 … here in Argentina," Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia said on social media. Argentina will play three home friendlies during FIFA 's international window in September and October, which will be its first matches since the World Cup. The Argentines will take on Benin in Buenos Aires's Monumental Stadium on October 7, AEST, where Messi has been invited to play his farewell match. Argentina will also face Bolivia in Córdoba and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires during the FIFA international window. Three Argentine players — Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada — were recently handed bans by FIFA for a scuffle after losing the World Cup final to Spain in New Jersey in July. Paredes received a 10-match ban. Reuters