The biggest story for Argentina in the September-October international window is celebrating Lionel Messi. So, where is he?
Messi didn't take the field in a 4-0 victory over Bolivia and won't play in Saturday, Oct. 3's date with Burkina Faso. Instead, it's a chance for fans in Buenos Aires to see what their counterparts in Cordoba already saw: The future of the Argentina national team without Messi.
In the win over the fellow South Americans, Nico Paz scored and had an assist, and four other players who are 23 or younger checked into the match as second-half substitutes. Among them were former River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, currently on loan with Fiorentina from Real Madrid, who will be eager for a homecoming against The Stallions.
The game against Burkina Faso will be another game for the future, as Messi prepares for his "last tango" with the Argentina national team.
When is Lionel Messi's Argentina national team farewell game?
Messi is taking center stage at the same stadium, the home of River Plate, where Argentina is playing Burkina Faso, but his farewell match scheduled to take place Oct. 6 against Benin.
That match will see Messi play alongside some of Argentina's rising stars while also taking the field with longtime teammates and friends Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso. Other players who were part of Argentina's run to the 2022 World Cup title but are no longer in the Argentina setup also are expected to join for the festivities as Messi closes out his national team career with a 208th and final cap.
Messi has not only scored 125 goals in that stretch, but helped his country to that 2022 World Cup crown, a pair of titles in the Copa América, which is South America's continental championship, and also made the World Cup final in 2014 and 2026, finishing as runner-up.
Last weekend, Messi scored an incredible free kick from a tight angle, though it came in a losing effort for Inter Miami against the Columbus Crew. Messi will continue to play club soccer in MLS but will no longer be called in to the Argentina national team, whose next major tournament is the 2028 Copa América.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why isn't Lionel Messi playing for Argentina against Burkina Faso?
