"Won't be marking Messi, he's a legend": Benin international Tijani ahead of Argentine's farewell international match

Benin footballer Tijani Mohamed, who will be facing legendary Lionel Messi in the icon's last-ever international game for Argentina, made a heartwarming statement ahead of the game, saying that they would not be man-marking Messi and hoping that three-time world champions win the game.

Benin footballer Tijani Mohamed, who will be facing legendary Lionel Messi in the icon's last-ever international game for Argentina, made a heartwarming statement ahead of the game, saying that they would not be man-marking Messi and hoping that three-time world champions win the game. Messi, who had announced his retirement from international football on September 1, will be stepping in international colours one final time on home soil against Benin on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of the match to C5N, Tijani said, as quoted by Goal.com, "We would not be marking Messi. We will just enjoy this match. I will watch him and say: Messi, you are a legend. As per Goal.com, his admiration for the Argentina icon is such that he hopes that the 2026 FIFA World Cup finalist and three-time champion wins the game. On the farewell match, he further said, "We will do our utmost to ensure this celebration is perfect".

Messi announced his international retirement over one month after Argentina's World Cup final loss to Spain by 1-0 and just days after the demise of his father, Jorge Messi. Messi's father died on August 8 in the central Argentine city of Rosario at the age of 68. The Argentina skipper is his country's most-capped player and highest goal scorer, with 203 appearances and 124 goals. He is also the highest goal-scorer in South American football history.

In 2022, after years of heartbreaks, particularly the 2014 FIFA World Cup final loss to Germany, Messi tasted FIFA World Cup glory, beating a Kylian Mbappe-powered France in the final. It was his country's first WC in 36 years and their third overall, as per ESPN. Before that, Messi had also played a massive role in ending Argentina's 28-year title drought, securing the Copa America title in 2021 and winning it back-to-back after World Cup glory in the 2024 edition.

Messi had previously announced his international retirement back in 2016 after Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final that year, but reversed his retirement, leading his nation to World Cup glory six years later in Qatar The legendary footballer appeared in six FIFA World Cups from 2006 to 2026, scoring 21 goals in 34 matches. He is the second-highest goal-scorer in the tournament's history, with France's Mbappe holding the record with 22 goals.

In this year's World Cup, Messi had eight goals to his name and four assists, making him one of the standout performers in the tournament. This also included his maiden FIFA WC hat-trick against Algeria. He had overtaken Germany legend Miroslav Klose's record of most FIFA World Cup goals before Mbappe snatched the top spot from him. Messi is, however, still playing for his club, Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS). (ANI)