Messi has been summoned by Argentina to make a farewell appearance after his international retirement

Lionel Messi has been summoned by Argentina to make a farewell appearance in a home friendly in October after his international retirement, as confirmed by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) on Tuesday. "We invited the best player in the world to play, the icon of our selection, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to have a deserved farewell on October 6, here in Argentina," AFA President Claudio Tapia stated on social media.

Argentina is set to host three home friendlies during the FIFA international window from September 21 to October 6, marking their first matches since the World Cup.

They will face Benin at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium on October 6, where Messi, who announced his retirement from international football last month, has been invited to play in his farewell match.

Argentina will face Bolivia at Cordoba's Mario Kempes Stadium on September 30, before heading to Buenos Aires to host Burkina Faso on October 3.

The Bolivia match will take place with a 50% reduced capacity due to FIFA sanctions concerning incidents from this year's World Cup. "Footballers Messi, (Rodrigo) De Paul, and (Giovani) Lo Celso will be present to participate in the final friendly on October 6. 

“Meanwhile, the names of the players called up from the local league will be announced on Friday,” the AFA stated in a release regarding the squad.

Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina, and Thiago Almada are set to serve suspensions of 10, seven, and one match, respectively, due to their involvement in an altercation following the World Cup final against Spain.

Team:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Juan Musso, and Geronimo Rulli.

Defenders: Agustin Giay, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Juan Foyth, Facundo Medina, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Roman Vega.

Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolas Paz, and Franco Mastantuono.

Forwards: Matias Soule, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gonzalez, Gianluca Prestianni, Jose Manuel Lopez, Santiago Castro, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, and Lionel Messi.