Messi unveils commemorative Argentina shirt ahead of October 6 farewell

Lionel Messi has revealed the shirt he will wear for his farewell appearance in Argentina colours, posting a video of the commemorative jersey on Instagram ahead of the send-off against Benin on October 6.

"Último partido... Una camiseta para toda la vida," Messi wrote alongside the clip.

"One last match... A jersey for a lifetime." The words accompanied the first public look at the Adidas design built for his goodbye.

The shirt retains Argentina's sky blue and white identity, with a single white stripe running down a mostly sky blue base.

Gold detailing frames a prominent Sun of May emblem at the centre of the design.

On the back, Messi and his familiar No. 10 appear in gold above a distinctive patterned finish.

Adidas, Messi's kit partner for two decades, had already marked his farewell earlier this year with its El Ultimo Tango collection during his final World Cup.

Argentina play three home friendlies between September 21 and October 6. Lionel Scaloni's side face Bolivia on September 30 at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Cordoba, before hosting Burkina Faso on October 3 at River Plate's Estadio Monumental.

The Benin fixture on October 6, at the same Buenos Aires venue, will be Messi's last appearance in Argentina's shirt. He announced his international retirement earlier this month, closing out a career that began with his senior debut in 2005.

Messi leaves as Argentina's most capped player and record scorer, with 203 appearances and 203 goals. His trophy cabinet includes three major international titles, though it was a long time coming.

Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and the 2016 Copa America final to Chile before Messi finally broke through, lifting the 2021 Copa America and ending a 28 year wait for silverware.

He then led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, scoring twice in the final against France and converting his spot kick as the shootout settled a 3-3 draw. Argentina retained the Copa America in 2024.

Across six World Cups from 2006 to 2026, Messi scored 21 goals in 34 appearances, the second highest tally in the tournament's history. His last World Cup campaign brought eight goals and four assists, including a hat-trick against Algeria.

An eight time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi will continue playing club football for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer even as his international career comes to a close on home soil.