Scaloni: The ideal moment has come for Messi's farewell to Argentina

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man

The scheduled farewell to the Monumental

Coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Argentina's friendly against Benin on 6 October at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires will be their Lionel Messi farewell match.

"I think a player like him deserves it", said Scaloni at a press conference on Thursday. The coach revealed that he personally contributed to make the friendly possible precisely because of his own uncertainty about his future in office: "As today not SEI if I will be available later, we made an effort so that he could be in this match".

Numbers that explain the tribute

The farewell crowns a historic career: Messi ended the cycle by selection as top scorer in Albiceleste's history, with 125 goals, of which 21 in World Cups. In the last Copa the sixth of his career he played all eight games and scored eight goals.

For the coach, managing Messi was a dream: "I'll say this for the rest of my life. There will never be anyone like him".

Scaloni's future in the open

Scaloni's contract with the national team expires in December, and the coach, who hinted that his cycle would end after the defeat in the Cup final, said he was willing to negotiate a renewal. "We will talk there is total willingness to sit down", declared after training at Ezeiza complex before friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin .

"There is certainly a desire to be here, but there are several points we need to discuss with the president of AFA Claudio Tapia", he added, indicating that he will talk to the manager in the coming days.

On-going transition and the friendly agenda

Scaloni took advantage of the call-up list to start the transition after Messi's departure from centre-back Nicolás Otamendi and other names. "These games are an opportunity for young people to make their name. If they are here, it is because they deserve", he said.

Among the rookies are defenders Tomás Palacios (Studentes), Román Vega (Zenit) and Valentín Gómez (Betis); midfielders Tobías Andrada (River Plate), Ezequiel Fernández (Bayer Leverkusen) and Santiago Simón (Toluca); and winger Leonel Flores (Boca Juniors). He is also one of the most promising players in the world.

The agenda for Argentina: Bolivia on 30 September, at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba province; and Burkina Faso (3/10) and Benin (6/10), both at Monumental.

What 's the status now ?

The moment is one of simultaneous farewell and transition: the selection prepares for three friendlies that celebrate Messi and test the new generation, while the renewal of Scaloni architect of the most victorious era in Argentine history with the world title of 2022 and the America's Cups of 2021 and 2024 continues without a closed deal until he and Tapia sit down in the next few days.