Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Argentina’s friendly against Benin on October 6 will serve as Lionel Messi’s farewell appearance for the national team.

The match will be played at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires and will mark Messi’s first appearance for Argentina since announcing his international retirement at the end of August. The 39-year-old accepted an invitation from the Argentine Football Association to return for one final match in front of the country’s supporters.

Scaloni said the occasion would allow Messi to say goodbye on his own terms and admitted that the emotion of the night would be difficult to contain.

“It will be hard not to cry that day; it’s a privilege to be there,” Scaloni said. “A player like him deserves to say goodbye the way he wants to.”

The coach also acknowledged uncertainty over his own future with Argentina but said he had made every effort to be present for Messi’s farewell.

“I did my bit because I want to be there for his farewell and, since I don’t know if I’ll still be here in the future, we did everything possible so he could take part in this match.”

AFA president Claudio Tapia previously confirmed that Messi had been invited to receive the farewell he deserved as Argentina’s captain and national-team icon. Members of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families are also expected to attend the occasion.

Argentina will face Bolivia in Córdoba on September 30 and Burkina Faso at the Monumental on October 3 before meeting Benin three days later. Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are expected to join the squad specifically for the final friendly.

Messi’s farewell will bring an end to a historic international career that includes three World Cup finals, the 2022 World Cup title and Argentina’s 2021 and 2024 Copa América triumphs.