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The Argentine Football Association confirmed that Lionel Messi has been called up to participate in a friendly match on home soil in Argentina in October for a farewell appearance after his international retirement.
Argentine Football Association President Claudio Tapia said via social media on Tuesday, "We have invited the best player in the world, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to participate in the match and give him a fitting farewell on October 6 here in Argentina."
Argentina will play three friendly matches at home during the international break set by FIFA between September 21 and October 6, marking the team's first appearance since the World Cup.
The Argentine national team will face Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 6, where Messi, who announced his international retirement last month, has been invited to play his farewell match.
Argentina will also meet Bolivia at the Mario Kempes Stadium in Cordoba on September 30 before heading to Buenos Aires to host Burkina Faso on October 3.
The match against Bolivia will be held with a reduced audience of 50 percent as part of the penalties imposed by FIFA following incidents at this year's World Cup.
The Argentine Football Association said in a statement, "Players Messi, (Rodrigo) De Paul, and (Giovanni) Lo Celso will attend the last friendly match on October 6. At the same time, the names of the players called up from the domestic league will be announced on Friday."
Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina, and Thiago Almada will have to serve suspensions of ten, seven, and one match, respectively, due to their roles in the altercation during the World Cup final against Spain.
Here is the Argentina squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso.
Defenders: Agustin Giai, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Juan Foyth, Facundo Medina, Nicolas Tagliafico, Roman Vega.
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Valentin Barco, Giovanni Lo Celso, Ezequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Nico Paz, Franco Mastantuono.
Forwards: Matias Soule, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gonzalez, Gianluca Prestianni, Jose Manuel Lopez, Santiago Castro, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi.
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