{
  "id": 7732732,
  "title": "Messi called up by Argentina to make farewell appearance following international retirement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/messi-called-up-by-argentina-to-make-farewell-appearance-following",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-16T07:22:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40439755/messi-called-up-by-argentina-to-make-farewell-appearance-following-international-retirement"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lionel Messi has been invited by Argentina to play a farewell match in a home friendly before his international retirement, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Tuesday. President Claudio Tapia confirmed the decision on social media, stating that Messi, the best player in the world and their captain, will have a deserved farewell on October 6 in Argentina.\n\nThe AFA revealed their squad for the three home friendlies scheduled between September 21 and October 6, the first matches for Argentina since the World Cup. The team will play Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6, marking Messi's farewell appearance. Prior to that, Argentina will face Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30 and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3.\n\nNotably, the match in October will see a reduced capacity due to FIFA sanctions from incidents during the World Cup. In attendance for the final friendly on October 6 will be Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, and Giovani Lo Celso. Additionally, Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina, and Thiago Almada will serve suspension matches for their involvement in an altercation after the World Cup final against Spain.",
  "summary": "Lionel Messi has been called up by Argentina to make a farewell appearance in a home friendly in October following his international retirement, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed on Tuesday. “We invited the best player in the world to play, the icon of our selection, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to have a deserved farewell on October 6, here in Argentina,” AFA President…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Messi returns to Argentina squad for final farewell against Benin",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/messi-returns-to-argentina-squad-for-final-farewell-against-benin-7638553",
        "published": "2026-09-15T21:46:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Messi called up by Argentina to make farewell appearance following international retirement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/messi-called-up-by-argentina-to-make-farewell-appearance-following-7645971",
        "published": "2026-09-15T22:00:43.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}