Messi's Last Argentina Game Is Here — And His Post-Football Plan Includes Owning Clubs, Hotels And A MILANESA Chain

Grab the tissues, because Lionel Messi is about to pull on the Argentina shirt for the very last time. And honestly? The man's next chapter is already sounding VERY busy.

According to BBC Sport's Guillem Balague, Messi will bow out in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires. It'll be his 208th Argentina appearance, and he's already the country's most-capped player and record goalscorer.

The Tea ☕

• Messi announced his Argentina retirement on 31 August, six weeks after the World Cup final defeat by Spain, saying he had nothing more to give.
• His Inter Miami contract runs to the end of 2028, reviewed year by year, and BBC Sport says a renewal is quite likely if he still feels up for it.
• Off the pitch, he's quietly becoming a club owner, hotelier and restaurant partner.

The Farewell

Balague writes that Messi is arguably Argentina's greatest ever player, with only Diego Maradona anywhere near. Coach Lionel Scaloni has said that if Messi ever wants to change his mind, he can, with no embarrassment. But per BBC Sport, that chapter seems closed.

Cue the group chat crying in sky blue and white.

Wait, He's An Owner Now?

Yes, really. Asked recently whether he'd rather be a coach or an owner, Messi picked owner, according to BBC Sport. Coaches live and die by every Saturday, while an owner shapes things from a little further back. (Balague adds he'd be an owner who wants to be involved in EVERYTHING.)

Here's the empire so far, per the BBC:

• UE Cornella, a fifth-tier club on the edge of Barcelona, which he bought in April.
• CD Eldense, a Spanish second-division side, announced Messi as its new owner on 1 October, subject to approval from Spain's sports council. Former Villarreal boss Javi Calleja got the job with the new owner's arrival.
• Deportivo LSM in Uruguay, co-founded with Luis Suarez in May 2025, which won promotion to the country's third tier in its first season.

Messi reportedly follows every Eldense match on his computer. After they beat Real Oviedo 4-1, his first message as owner was an Instagram post reading "Aupa Deportivo." Around a dozen sponsors reportedly came knocking within a couple of days, too.

The dream? BBC Sport says his focus is seeing whether Eldense can establish itself in La Liga. This season's target, though, is simply not getting relegated. Baby steps.

The Side Hustles Are Not Small

Forbes put Messi's net worth at about $1.1bn in June, according to the BBC, with roughly $140m in earnings over the previous year. The portfolio includes:

• MiM Hotels: six boutique properties from Ibiza to Andorra, run by Melia since 1 November 2025.
• A property development of 24 homes in Rosario, with Ángel Di María's agency handling sales.
• El Club de la Milanesa, a restaurant chain planning five branches in Catalonia, starting in Castelldefels.
• A mate collection with Stanley, the brand's first multi-year deal with an athlete. Messi reportedly gave opinions on materials and colours. We love a hands-on king.

He also runs the Messi Cup, an Under-16 academy tournament that doubles to 16 teams this year, starting 25 October at Inter Miami's facilities, per the BBC. Last year he reportedly sat through every match on every day.

The Questions Nobody Can Answer Yet

Could he go home to Newell's Old Boys? BBC Sport says the idea has never been formally discussed, though it may have crossed his mind over mate with Suarez, and nobody close to him expects it. The family home is reportedly waiting in Castelldefels, near Barcelona.

And his plans past 2028? People around him just smile, because Messi has never really planned beyond his next game.

The man himself told a business forum in Miami last November: "Business is something that interests me. I would like to keep learning because I know nothing and I am just starting out."

A billionaire, a World Cup winner and he's "just starting out." We are NOT okay. 🥲

So tell us: what's the one moment from Messi's Argentina career you'd replay forever, and would you buy a milanesa from his restaurant? Sound off below.

Sources:

• BBC Sport: Owner, businessman & player: Messi has big plans as a golden era ends