Retirement: How I convinced Messi to return to play for Argentina – Scaloni

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has shared the story of how he managed to persuade football legend Lionel Messi to return to the national team for a farewell match. Scaloni believes a player of Messi's caliber deserves such an opportunity to pay tribute to him. The Argentina Football Association's president backed his efforts, and both were satisfied with Messi's decision to participate in the match.

According to Scaloni, "I think a player like him deserves this. Personally, I did my part. We pushed for him to be able to play in this match." Despite Messi's recent international retirement following Argentina's World Cup loss to Spain, and his personal grief over his father's death, he felt compelled to say goodbye to his supporters.

He emphasized that the present moment was ideal, as future developments are unpredictable. The AFA and its president played their roles as well, making this a truly significant event.