Falkland Islands banners were displayed at Lionel Messi's final international match in Buenos Aires, despite FIFA's strict ban on political messages. The 39-year-old scored his 126th and final goal for Argentina in a 3-0 win over Benin at a packed Estadio Monumental.
Political slogans at the Monumental
While the fixture was meant to honour one of the game's greats, some fans chose to display banners about the Falkland Islands. One banner spotted was similar to the one Argentina players unfurled after beating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final, which read 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' — 'the Falklands are Argentine'. Cameras also captured flags showing the outline of the Islands covered in Argentina's blue and white flag, according to the Daily Mail.
Previous diplomatic fallout
The semi-final banner caused a diplomatic incident between then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Argentina President Javier Milei. Starmer noted that Falkland Islands residents voted 99.8 percent in favour of remaining in the UK in the most recent referendum. FIFA fined Argentina more than £200,000 and ordered the team to play a home fixture at 50 percent capacity as punishment.
After the final, which Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain, several Argentinian officials drew further punishment from FIFA. President Milei did not apologise, instead designating the date Argentina beat England — July 15 — as 'national teams day'.
Farewell in fairytale fashion
Messi's farewell game ended with him scoring a penalty in the 3-0 win. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who announced his retirement from international football after losing the World Cup final, was invited to take part in the friendly alongside all his team-mates from Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad. He ends his international career with 208 senior caps and 126 goals, both records for Argentina, and is the only player to have started three World Cup finals.
