Benin was the chosen opponent to bid farewell to Lionel Messi from Argentina. However, this is not a blockbuster match by any means, as the away side is ranked nowhere near the ‘Albiceleste‘.
Benin is ranked 89 in the FIFA rankings. Having said that, Benin has leveled up. The African team has improved four spots, overcoming teams like Bulgaria, Zambia, and Thailand. Even Benin’s goalkeeper has warned Lionel Messi that things won’t be easy for Argentina.
Just for contrast, Argentina is a juggernaut in the soccer world. The World Cup runner-ups are ranked two in the world according to FIFA. Hence, it’s a very disparaging encounter.
Argentina wants this game to be Messi’s glorious farewell
Argentina has been known to not have tough international friendlies in quite a while. However, for this game, it was clear that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) want this game to be a party to say goodbye to their best player ever. There is a reason why Argentina is playing against Benin in Messi’s farewell.
In fact, even the game prior to this was a tune-up for the squad to lift the spirits ahead of this game against Benin. Argentina recently beat Burkina Faso (ranked 62 in the world) very comfortably, by a 7-0 score.
Benin is in decently good form ahead of game vs Argentina
Benin has won two, drawn two, and lost just once in their five most recent games. Those games, however, came against weak competition, being Guinea, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. The one loss was actually a lob-sided defeat, falling to Togo 5-1.
Key Takeaways
- Benin holds the 89th position in the latest FIFA world rankings.
- Argentina occupies the second spot in the global rankings.
- The host nation earned a 7-0 victory against Burkina Faso recently.
