Argentine League To Pause Games To Honour Messi

Lionel Messi, the Argentine football legend, will be honored by the Argentine league by pausing all matches at the 10th minute this weekend for a minute of applause following his retirement from international football. The 39-year-old, who donned the number 10 shirt for Argentina, announced his retirement from the national side on Monday after leading them to World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022.

Messi's final international game for Argentina was the 2-1 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. The Argentine Football Association stated, "In tribute and homage to Lionel Messi’s career with the Argentina national team, at the 10th minute of play in all matches the referees will stop the game and a general minute of applause will be held."

Messi, with 207 caps, is Argentina's all-time appearance record holder. He first retired from international football in 2016 following a defeat against Chile in the Copa America final, when he missed a penalty in the shootout, marking Argentina's fourth major final loss in nine years. Messi, who is the second-highest goalscorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, and the all-time top scorer in international football with 125 goals, made his debut for Argentina in 2005 and has won two Copa America titles alongside a World Cup.