Lionel Messi’s farewell from the Argentina national team will be anything but ordinary. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has released the full schedule for the farewell event, featuring music, the national anthem, the match, a halftime performance, a drone and fireworks show, and a mysterious final “surprise.”
Messi is set to make his final appearance for Argentina against Benin at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental on Tuesday, October 6, local time. The match will kick off at 8pm local time, or 5am Bangladesh time on Wednesday, October 7. FIFA and the AFA have confirmed the game as Messi’s farewell appearance for the national team.
The celebrations will begin well before kickoff. At 5:30pm local time, the event will open with “Un Poco de Ruido.” Performances will then follow from Sebastian Mendoza, Roman El Original, Amar Azul, Santi Cairo, Q’Lokura and Damas Gratis.
The pre-match performances have also been assigned specific times. Sebastian Mendoza will perform at 5:40pm, followed by Roman El Original at 5:50pm, Amar Azul at 6pm, Santi Cairo at 6:10pm and Q’Lokura at 6:20pm. Damas Gratis will take the stage at 7pm.
At 8pm, Fabio Santana will perform Argentina’s national anthem before the main match gets underway. For viewers in Bangladesh, the kickoff time will be 5am on Wednesday.
The entertainment will continue during halftime, when Gaspar Benegas will perform.
The biggest spectacle, however, has been reserved for after the match.
At 10:03pm local time, a drone and fireworks show will begin. Popular singer La Sole will then take the stage at 10:10pm, followed by a performance from Ulises Bueno at 10:15pm.
Then comes the most mysterious part of the evening. Around 10:30pm, the final item on the schedule is listed simply as “Sorpresa,” meaning “surprise.”
No artist’s name or further details have been provided for that segment. The AFA has only indicated that a special surprise will be revealed at the end of the farewell event.
What exactly that surprise will be remains undisclosed, making the final item the biggest source of curiosity surrounding Messi’s farewell night.
The celebrations will extend beyond the Monumental as well. At the Ciudad Universitaria campus of the University of Buenos Aires, the AFA will host the “Gracias, Leo” Fan Fest from noon until midnight. The event will feature music, entertainment, food, games and a big-screen broadcast of the Argentina-Benin match.
The AFA had previously announced that Messi would receive a farewell on home soil, with president Claudio Tapia saying the Argentina captain deserved a proper send-off. The federation also invited members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families to attend the farewell.
After more than two decades in the Argentina shirt, Messi’s final night with the national team has been arranged as a major celebration of his international career. Yet despite the extensive programme, one word has captured the most attention: “Sorpresa.”
What that final surprise will be remains the biggest mystery of Messi’s farewell.
