'Five Monumental stadiums would've been full': Scaloni on Messi farewell frenzy

Lionel Scaloni has admitted Argentina will "never be the same" once Lionel Messi plays his final international match against Benin on October 6, with ticket demand for the farewell at Estadio Monumental reaching levels he described as unlike anything he has witnessed.

"If there were five Monumental stadiums, they would have been full. I received messages from everywhere and I can't keep up with telling people how difficult it is to get tickets," Scaloni said, speaking after a 7-0 win over Burkina Faso shifted focus firmly onto Messi's farewell.

The head coach, who guided Messi and Argentina to World Cup and Copa America glory, said the feeling the captain generates on the pitch is something he has never seen replicated in any other player, teammate or opponent alike.

"Only nostalgia remains now that he won't be there," he said.

"It's no longer just about the football, we have to keep playing. But the feeling of having him on the pitch is unique. What he transmits to everyone, to the opponent, the teammate, the rival fan, his own, I haven't seen it in anyone else. That is what we are going to miss the most," Scaloni added.

Beyond his ability on the ball, Scaloni pointed to Messi's work ethic as his most lasting influence on younger teammates, describing a player who continued showing up fully committed even once qualification or results no longer demanded it of him.

"He is an incredible example, the first to arrive, the last to leave, how he takes care of himself, how he faces each game. You can see he is a phenomenon just by how he plays, but he has things behind him that his teammates see," Scaloni said.

Midfielder Enzo Fernandez used the same post match platform to urge Scaloni to extend his own tenure, arguing continuity from the coach who built Argentina's recent dominance was essential as the squad adjusts to life after Messi.

"It would be very important for us that Lionel stays, he built all of this," he told TyC Sports.

The Argentine Football Association has already tabled a contract offer through the 2028 Copa America, with the option to extend to the 2030 World Cup, though Scaloni's own future remains unresolved as his current deal runs out in December.

Should he commit, Scaloni will do so alongside a reshaped leadership structure, with Cristian Romero recently installed as Argentina's new captain, signalling the start of a deliberate succession plan as the Messi era draws to its close.

The Monumental holds particular significance for the occasion. Messi has never lost there in 28 Argentina appearances, scoring 19 goals including a hat trick against Bolivia in 2021, more than at any other stadium in his national team career.

His first goal at the ground came against Uruguay in 2008 during World Cup qualifying, and in 2023 River Plate gifted Messi and his family a lifetime box at the venue, decorated with images from his career and the 2022 World Cup triumph.

With a current capacity of 85,018, the largest in South America, and an expansion already under way that will push capacity beyond 100,000, the Monumental will host one final chapter in a relationship between player and stadium spanning more than two decades.