&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Lionel Messi retirement: Argentina football matches to halt in tribute to legend")
It has been three days since Lionel Messi, arguably the biggest football star, announced his international retirement and hung up his Argentina jersey. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has now announced a tribute plan for the magical footballer. As part of the tribute to Leo Messi for his service to the Argentina national football team, all matches in the country on the coming weekend of Sep 5-6 will be paused in the 10th minute. Stadiums equipped with video scoreboards will showcase various photos of Messi's journey before kickoff, alongside a one-minute applause during the pause.
Football matches will come to a halt in Argentina in tribute to Messi
In a statement released on Wednesday (Sep 2), the AFA said: "For the upcoming matchday across all men's and women's divisions and disciplines, matches will be paused in the 10th minute of the first half for a minute of applause in recognition of Lionel Messi's career with the Argentina national team."
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Stadiums equipped with video boards "must play a tribute video before kickoff," added the statement.
Messi, on August 31, in an Instagram post, announced his retirement and wrote: "It was a decision that hurt—and still hurts deep down—but I understand that the time has come."
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Messi's Argentina career in numbers
Messi started his career with the Argentina senior national side in 2005 and went on to play 207 matches, scoring 125 goals—the highest for an Argentine player. He also featured in six FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026), playing 34 matches and winning 23—the most for any player in history.
He finished his FIFA World Cup career with 21 goals—the second-most by a player behind France's Kylian Mbappé (22). He won the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and played his last match in the 2026 edition, with Argentina losing to Spain in the final.
