Lionel Scaloni says this week’s international farewell to Lionel Messi will be “very emotional” after seeing his Argentina dismantling a travel-weary Burkina Faso 7-0 in Buenos Aires.
Messi was rested for Sunday’s friendly at the Estadio Monumental to ensure he is fully fit for his final appearance in an Argentina shirt against Benin.
The 39-year-old announced his international retirement in August following the World Cup final defeat to Spain and the death of his father, Jorge, bringing the curtain down on a legendary 21-year career that saw him score 125 goals in 207 games.
Looking ahead to Tuesday’s historic sending off for the special striker, Scaloni said: “I imagine Tuesday’s game will be very emotional for everyone, including Leo.
“It will be an unforgettable day. It will be his day, and the day of his teammates, who also gave him his greatest footballing joy. I am grateful to be able to enjoy it.
“I imagine if there were five stadiums, they would be full.”
On the pitch, Argentina ruthlessly exploited a Burkina Faso set-up that had completely derailed before a ball had even been kicked.
The African side landed in Buenos Aires just five hours before kick-off after their initial private flight from Morocco was grounded due to a “technical fault”.
Several senior Burkina Faso players subsequently refused to travel due to fatigue, leaving a young and inexperienced squad to take the field after an 11-hour flight.
Argentina were relentless, with Lautaro Martínez, Gianluca Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Franco Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone all on the scoresheet, along with an own goal from Moumoune Diallo.
Despite the heavy defeat, Scaloni praised the visitors for completing the game in extreme circumstances:
“What the Burkina Faso national team has done is really commendable; it elevates football,” Scaloni said.
“We try to respect them and we’re very grateful that they were able to come.”
