One of Benin’s best-known players is their captain, Steve Mounie.
The forward plays for German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, but will also be known to Huddersfield Town fans having played for the club between 2017-2020.
He’s been a regular with the national side for more than a decade but says he’s never played a game for them outside of Africa.
“When the coach called me and told me about this game. We didn’t know it was going to be the last game of Leo Messi,” Mounie told BBC Sport.
“It was like the cherry on top of the cake. It adds some more values to this big event for Benin, and it’s going to be a big event for the world of football.”
However, injury means Mounie will play no part in the game. Instead of staying at home recovering, however, he says this was not a moment he could miss out on.
“I cannot play,” he said. “I just came to join the team, to support the team. And, I need to be honest with this because football is my passion. I came for myself.
“I even paid for my own ticket to come here.
“I would prefer to be on the bench, but if they tell me that I need to be in the stand, I will be in the stand. There is no problem, but I want to see the game from a pitch view.”
The former Premier League striker says, while the result of the friendly is largely inconsequential, those players who are selected will know it’s a great chance to enhance their reputations and that of Beninese football.
“We are a team that is very disciplined,” said Mounie. “We have a lot of young talent in the team right now that have good technical skills. We are always willing to go forward. We play pressing football, but when we cannot, we stick together and we fight.
“We are a team like a family, And I think we can relate to this Argentina team because they feel like they are like a family too, which Messi is a father to.”