Lionel Messi may have played his final match for Argentina, but the country is not ready to let the curtain fall on his international career without one more celebration.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has announced that domestic football matches across the country will stop in the 10th minute this weekend for a one-minute applause in honour of Messi.
The tribute will be held across all men’s and women’s divisions and disciplines, giving clubs and supporters nationwide an opportunity to celebrate a player whose career has become inseparable from Argentine football.
Stadiums fitted with video screens will also show a special tribute video before kick-off. The AFA said the same montage will be published across its social media platforms.
The gesture comes after Messi confirmed that the 2026 World Cup final against Spain was his last appearance for the national team. Argentina lost the final, bringing an emotional conclusion to a remarkable international career.
Messi made his senior debut for Argentina in 2005 and went on to establish himself as the country’s leading goalscorer, scoring 125 times. Across six World Cup appearances, he finally achieved the prize that had eluded him for much of his career when Argentina lifted the trophy in 2022.
That triumph ended a 36-year wait for Argentina and cemented Messi’s place among the greatest players in the country’s history.
His World Cup record is equally extraordinary. With 34 appearances, Messi holds the record for the most matches played at the tournament, while his 23 victories are also a record.
The 39-year-old’s international honours extend beyond the World Cup, with Copa América success adding to a résumé that transformed the way his career with Argentina is remembered.
Yet Messi’s announcement suggested that retirement was not an easy decision.
“I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give,” he wrote on Instagram, acknowledging the emotional weight of ending his time with the national team.
“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come,” he added.
Now, Argentine football will take a brief pause to recognise everything he gave to the national shirt.
For one minute, in the 10th minute of matches across the country, the applause will serve as a national farewell to a player who spent more than two decades turning expectation, disappointment and ultimately glory into one of the greatest international careers football has seen.
