Lionel Messi's farewell to the Argentine national team was an unforgettable spectacle for the fans, a little less entertaining for the Benin national team, who arrived at the Monumental to be treated almost as an extra. The Africans were completely forgotten in the chaos of the big celebration for the number 10 and became the protagonists of some embarrassing moments, such as the futile pursuit for a selfie with "The Flea". In fact, what had forgotten them was precisely the AFA, which for several months has adopted a strange strategy to choose the teams it faces in friendlies.
For the Benin players it was an incredible honor to share the field with Messi at such an important moment, but in return they received nothing. Not a share of the revenue from the match, with the River Plate stadium hosting more than 85,000 people, nor a bonus for their presence, but not a photo with the Argentine or a shirt exchanged with any of the national team's protagonists, as confirmed by coach Gernot Rohr, who spoke about all the restrictions imposed on his national team.
Argentina ignored Benin on Messi's night
That all eyes would be on "The Flea" was to be expected, as it was clear that the party belonged to Argentina, the players and all the fans who paid tribute to Messi on the last night. There were tears of emotion, accompanied, however, by the dissatisfaction of Benin, who had made a very long journey to return home empty-handed. The coach of the African team complained to RMC about the treatment reserved for them by the federation, which in practice did not consider them at all on such an important evening. The Beninese already knew that they would not receive any cash prizes or a share of the income from the match, but they had no idea what would happen: "The only shame is that the Argentines gave us nothing. No photo with Messi, no shirt. They didn't even let us enter the tunnel, let alone the changing rooms."
Security treated them as if they were intruders and the only “prize” they took home was an autograph on a single Messi shirt, secured through Scaloni: “We offered a bouquet of flowers in Benin’s colors, yellow, red and green, but it didn’t work.” Journalist Romain Molina also collected the team’s testimonies: “The ‘respect’ of the Argentine Federation (and the players) towards Benin: no bonuses, not a single penny of the revenue generated, no exchanged shirts, not even a photo. Everything is done to make money at the expense of those who are treated as mere extras.”
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— ứ (@oboo28_) October 7, 2026
Benin players did not receive a photo or a shirt in return.
A denunciation that raises eyebrows at such an emotional celebration, where the successes and career of a footballer who changed the history of football forever were celebrated. The only reward for Benin was the opportunity to take to the field against him, but beyond the glory, the African footballers were treated as extras, useful only for the duration of the match and not even authorized to receive a shirt in return for the very long journey they had made.
