Argentina To Pause All Football Matches In 10th Minute To Honour Lionel Messi After International Retirement
Buenos Aires: All football matches across Argentina this weekend will be paused in the 10th minute for a 60-second round of applause in honour of Lionel Messi, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced, following the superstar's decision to retire from international football, Reuters reported. OFFICIAL - The AFA has announced that all matches across men’s and women’s competitions will…
Argentina has decided to pause all football matches this weekend in the 10th minute to honor Lionel Messi, the national team's captain, following his announcement of retirement from international play, according to the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
The AFA announced that matches across both men's and women's competitions will stop at the 10-minute mark, with a minute of applause in Messi's memory. Stadiums with screens will also display an AFA video before the matches.
This tribute is a tribute to Messi's iconic No. 10 jersey, the one he has worn throughout most of his Argentina career. Messi officially retired from the national team on Monday after a decorated international career that included three major titles - the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America.
Messi began his senior career with Argentina in 2005 and became the country's most-capped player and all-time leading scorer. He scored 21 goals in 34 appearances for Argentina across six World Cup editions from 2006 to 2026. Despite a career filled with ups and downs, including losses in the 2014 World Cup final and the 2016 Copa America final, Messi always gave his all for the shirt and left everything on the field.
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