By OkayGoal
Lionel Scaloni says this week’s international farewell for Lionel Messi will be “very emotional” after watching his Argentina side dismantle a travel-weary Burkina Faso 7-0 in Buenos Aires.
Messi was rested for Sunday’s friendly at Estadio Monumental to ensure he is fully primed 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 down the curtain on a legendary 21-year career that has yielded 125 goals in 207 caps.
Looking ahead to Tuesday’s historic send-off for the special forward, Scaloni said: “I imagine Tuesday’s match will be very emotional for everyone, including Leo.
“It will be an unforgettable day. It will be his day, and his team-mates’ day, who also gave him his greatest footballing joy. I’m grateful to be able to enjoy it.
“I imagine that if there were five stadiums, they would be packed.”
On the pitch, Argentina ruthlessly exploited a Burkina Faso setup that had been completely derailed before a ball was even kicked.
The African side landed in Buenos Aires just five hours prior to kick-off after their initial private flight from Morocco was grounded by a “technical failure”.
Several senior Burkina Faso players subsequently refused to travel due to fatigue, leaving an inexperienced, young lineup to take the field following an 11-hour flight.
Argentina were relentless, with Lautaro Martinez, Gianluca Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julian Alvarez, Franco Mastantuono, and Giuliano Simeone all getting on the scoresheet, alongside an own goal from Moumoune Diallo.
Despite the heavy defeat, Scaloni praised the visitors for fulfilling the fixture under extreme circumstances:
“What the Burkina Faso national team has done is truly commendable; it elevates football,” Scaloni said.
“We try to respect them and are very grateful that they were able to come.”