Lionel Messi is set to make his farewell appearance for Argentina during a friendly match against Benin on October 6 in Buenos Aires. This follows his announcement of retirement from the national team earlier this month. Messi, often regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, ended his World Cup journey in tears after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium. The 39-year-old had hoped to win consecutive World Cups, a feat last achieved by Brazil's Pelé, but fell short in his final chance.
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Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, expressed that Messi’s farewell will be “the farewell he deserves.” As Messi bids adieu, a new generation of stars, including Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Harry Kane, will showcase their talents in international matches ahead of the Ballon d'Or announcement.
Mbappé and Yamal are both frontrunners for the award, which considers performances through the World Cup. The rivalry between Mbappé and Yamal resembles the historic contests between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Mbappé, playing for Real Madrid, and Yamal, a standout at Barcelona, are once again reigniting the competition between Spain's most prominent clubs. Yamal, at just 19 years old, has already made a significant impact by winning the World Cup with Spain and the Spanish league title with Barcelona.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Yamal acknowledged that winning the World Cup gave him an advantage in being considered among the world's best. While Mbappé did not secure his second World Cup, he set a tournament record with 22 goals, making him the highest scorer in World Cup history. Kane, awarded the golden shoe as Europe’s top scorer last season, continues to excel with six goals in seven appearances this term.
International soccer returns with various high-stakes matches. England will face Spain at Wembley in the Nations League, while France, under newly appointed coach Zinedine Zidane, is set to clash with Italy on October 2.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains focused on his pursuit of 1,000 career goals, having recently marked his 979th goal. The 41-year-old forward has been included in Portugal's squad for upcoming Nations League matches under new coach Jorge Jesus. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland continues to impress, having scored seven goals in his last five matches for Manchester City, maintaining the team's unbeaten run.
The coaching landscape in international soccer is also experiencing notable changes, with Zidane taking over France, Jurgen Klopp leading Germany, and Carlo Ancelotti coaching Brazil. Klopp, who was brought in after Germany's disappointing World Cup exit, has expressed readiness to resign if results do not improve. Conversely, Roberto Mancini remains at the helm of the Italian national squad, following his successful run at Euro 2020, but insists past accomplishments do not provide him any leeway going forward.
For viewers in the U.S., most international matches will be available via streaming services such as Fubo, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and DirecTV Stream, with some games also airing on Fox channels.