Lionel Messi and Argentina’s Opponent Team Left Unhappy With Hospitality Issues During Legend’s Farewell
· Yahoo Sports
Lionel Messi’s final Argentina appearance was meant to be a celebration. Instead, the night ended with Benin questioning how they were treated by the hosts.
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Argentina defeated Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, giving Messi the perfect result for his international farewell. He scored from the penalty spot and created two more goals, finishing his Argentina career with 126 goals in 208 appearances. But while thousands of fans celebrated their hero, the mood inside the Benin camp was reportedly very different.
According to journalist Romain Molina, the Benin delegation received none of the post-match extras it expected from such a high-profile friendly. Molina claimed there were no bonuses, no share of generated revenue, no shirt exchanges, and no opportunity for photographs with Argentina’s players. He also alleged that Benin officials were prevented from entering the Argentine corridor.
Those claims have not been independently confirmed, but Benin head coach Gernot Rohr has now publicly backed up part of the frustration.
Speaking on RMC’s Rothen s’enflamme (a French sports radio show), Rohr described the experience as deeply disappointing for his players. “Yes, it was extremely difficult. We tried,” the German coach said.
The biggest frustration came after the final whistle. With Messi preparing to close the book on his international career, Benin’s players wanted to exchange shirts and capture a memory from an occasion they knew they might never experience again.
Instead, Rohr said security kept them away. “The only shame is that the Argentines gave us nothing. No photo with Messi, no shirt. They didn’t even let us into the tunnel, nor even the dressing room,” he explained. The Benin players reportedly tried repeatedly to make contact with their Argentine counterparts, but the effort went nowhere.
“Some players came to swap shirts, so we knew it would be difficult. We tried everything, but we got nothing,” Rohr added. There was one unusual attempt to break the deadlock. Benin presented a bouquet featuring the country’s yellow, red, and green colors, hoping it might create a small moment between the two teams. Even that did not work.
Rohr did eventually leave with something connected to Messi. He had given the Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, a 2018 Messi shirt. Scaloni managed to get Messi to sign it before returning it to Rohr. “That was all,” the coach said.
The post-match complaints did not emerge in isolation. Benin had reportedly already experienced a difficult build-up to their trip to Argentina. Reports before the game pointed to problems with the team’s accommodation and training facilities. The Cheetahs reportedly dealt with issues including a lack of hot water, a non-functional sauna, and inadequate training and fitness facilities.
Their journey was another concern. The squad reportedly endured a lengthy economy flight to South America, while video analyst Jonas Bidé was said to have suffered a blackout during the trip.
Several players were also unavailable, adding another layer of difficulty to an already complicated preparation. Those issues echoed a similar controversy when Burkina Faso visited Argentina. After their 7-0 defeat to Argentina, reports claimed travel arrangements contributed to the Stallions arriving just hours before kickoff, with a heavily altered squad taking the field.
Against that backdrop, Benin’s experience only added to the frustration.
For Messi, however, none of it could overshadow what happened on the pitch.
The Argentine icon delivered one final performance in front of a packed Monumental, scoring a penalty and providing assists for Nicolás Otamendi and Nico Paz. The stadium celebrated him with chants, tributes, and an emotional farewell that marked the end of a 21-year international journey.
His legacy with Argentina remains untouched. But the complaints from Benin have created an uncomfortable footnote to an otherwise historic evening. Molina’s financial and logistical allegations remain claims that have not been independently verified, while Rohr’s comments specifically highlight the team’s difficulty accessing Argentina’s players and dressing-room areas.
For a match built around celebrating football and Messi’s extraordinary career, the visitors’ experience has raised a different question: did the farewell celebration come at the expense of the team invited to share the stage? For now, Benin’s frustration remains the story beneath Messi’s final bow.
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