One Last Session: Messi Trains for the Final Time in Argentina Colours

Lionel Messi trained with the Argentina squad for the final time this week, a quiet, heavily emotional session that staff and teammates treated as the start of a send-off rather than routine preparation for another international window.

The farewell comes during the same October window in which Argentina are scheduled to play Burkina Faso, giving the federation a natural occasion to mark the end of Messi's international career on home soil without disrupting a major tournament or qualifying campaign.

A career that needs no introduction

Messi's résumé with the national team speaks for itself: the long-awaited World Cup triumph in Qatar in 2022, back-to-back Copa America titles either side of it, and a run of form in his thirties that silenced any lingering doubts about whether he could carry Argentina to the very top.

What made this week's session different was less about tactics and more about atmosphere. Younger squad members who grew up idolising him were reported to have lingered afterwards for photos, while senior staff have spoken privately about wanting the occasion to reflect the scale of what he has given the shirt.

What comes next

Argentina have not confirmed the exact shape of the send-off, and Messi himself has said little publicly beyond thanking the staff and players around him this week. What is clear is that, barring a late change of plan, this international window marks the symbolic close of one of the great international careers in the sport's history.