Argentina to Pause Every Match for Messi Tribute

Every senior national team match in Argentina's upcoming qualifiers will stop dead in the 10th minute. Referees will halt play for a full minute of applause, in every category, men's and women's, futsal and beach soccer alike, as tribute to Lionel Messi.

The Argentine Football Association confirmed the gesture on Thursday, days after Messi, 39, announced he will not play for the national team again. The choice of minute is deliberate: the number 10 shirt is the one he has worn most often, for club and country both.

Messi called the decision painful.

"It hurts deep in my soul," he said, adding that he "realises the time has come" to stop playing for Argentina.

His last appearance in the shirt was the World Cup final on 19 July, lost 0-1 to Spain. He leaves as Argentina's record scorer, with 109 goals in 180 caps, and a World Cup (2022), an Olympic gold (2008) and two Copa America titles (2021, 2024) to his name.

The applause began early. Velez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors observed it on Wednesday in a Copa Argentina tie, a day ahead of the AFA's formal announcement. Grounds fitted with big screens have also been told to run an institutional video from the association before kick-off.

Argentina's next major tournament is the 2028 Copa America, by which time Messi will be 41. Whether he plays on for Inter Miami that long is a separate question, but his international career is now at an end.