From the Argentinian point of view, Lionel Messi’s last game was a national holiday. The game was great, they defeated Benin 3-0 and the most popular person in Argentina was given a spectacular farewell from the national team.But for their opponents, it was not a pleasant experience at all. Many were surprised to hear that a small African country was chosen for such a spectacle, but for the Cheetahs, it was certainly an honour. Still, after the game, the Benin coach lamented, in particular, the impossibility for his players to obtain photos or jerseys from their Argentinian counterparts, despite their attempts. He also denounced the restrictions imposed by security personnel, who allegedly prevented the players from approaching Messi and accessing the areas reserved for the Argentinian national team.##LINKED_NEWS_69710##And now Gernot Rohr’s words were confirmed by his assistant Tunde Adelakun, who shared his thoughts in a long post published on the website "The African Football Club". Adelakun said that players didn’t mind travelling almost 20 hours from Abidjan to Buenos Aires (via Paris) as it was a special game.“This was a monumental match in all ramifications. First game Benin will play against a non-African team in the 3-and-a-half years I’ve been working there. The highest-profile game Benin will ever have played at international level. And the fact that we, Benin, are playing in a historic game that draws the curtains on the international career of the person who, to me, was the greatest player that the world has ever seen,” he wrote.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🚨 MESSI NO SE QUISO TOMAR FOTOS EN SU DESPEDIDA CON LOS JUGADORES AFRICANOS Así fue como quitó a un jugador de Benin que quería una selfie y se siguió de frente… https://t.co/He6NGMujv2</p>— La Catrina Norteña (@catrina_nortena) <a href="https://x.com/catrina_nortena/status/2107668950456598693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##The game finished with a 3-0 defeat, but Adelakun was happy with his team’s display.“But that was where the beautiful story ended. And while it is always good to sing the praises of whatever we all do that is good, we must also not be hesitant in pointing out areas where there could be problems, underlying or obvious. What struck me was the very obvious and blatant refusal of the Argentina team to want to have anything to do with my team after the game. Handshakes at the end of the game were hurried and impersonal. And any attempt by our players to get close to the man they came to celebrate was rebuffed, in a very hostile manner by the security operatives on the ground. They clearly collectively did not want to be in the same place as my Benin team. It was rather disturbing,” he revealed.##LINKED_NEWS_69639##Adelakun also revealed that even Messi avoided Benin players.“Lionel Messi was leading a lap of honour around the pitch as the crowd was applauding him. He walked with his teammates all round the perimeter of the pitch, slowly and soaking the applause. Again, toward the end of the lap, some of my players lined up along what was to be his natural path to end the lap of honour. He was leading. My boys were there. Just wanting him to walk towards them and for them to applaud and appreciate him. Right at the very last moment, Leo made a wild detour and, consciously avoiding the crowd of Benin players that had formed, walked toward the centre of the pitch. That was a new low for a man revered by many and who, in many young African minds, could do no wrong,” he said.##LINKED_NEWS_69614##Benin assistant coach then asked the logical question: why his team was invited at all?“It begged the question – if it was England or Spain that had come to play that testimonial against Argentina to give a send-off to Messi, would they have been treated the way Benin was treated? If Benin was so distasteful to them in such a way, why did they agree to share a pitch with them for 90 minutes? Not a single word of acknowledgement of the opposition that made the game possible. It felt like inviting people to a wedding party, and the bride and groom sit at a table amongst their friends, finish the party and walk past other guests who made the event a well-attended one with their presence, without as much as a ‘hello and thanks for coming’!” he wrote.##LINKED_NEWS_69025##Adelakun wanted once again to separate Messi’s achievement from the actual welcome of the hosts.“Messi’s story is a beautiful one. And nothing will take what he’s done for football from him. But the events post-match, the way security was pushing and shoving fellow players who just wanted to show some respect and appreciation for a legend of the game, left quite a bitter taste in the mouths of many leaving Buenos Aires the next day,” he finished.22.00: (2.15) Villareal (3.50) Napoli (3.30)
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