Before the big farewell: Messi leaves a moving message that sums up 20 years with Argentina

End of the journey with the Albiceleste

Lionel Messi has sent a touching farewell message hours before the curtain falls on his Argentina career, sharing photos from his final training session alongside teammates and members of the coaching staff.

The Argentina captain posted a set of images on his social media accounts, captioning them with simple words that carried plenty of emotion: "Special moments I know I will miss", a clear nod to the imminent end of an exceptional chapter in his international career.

Messi will play his final match with Argentina against Benin in the early hours of Tuesday. The venue is the Monumental in Buenos Aires, and the night promises to be a historic one for the captain and number 10.

More than two decades in the Albiceleste shirt are drawing to a close. At 39, the forward is about to turn a page on one of the most glittering chapters of his career, having built a history packed with titles and achievements for the national team.

The Argentine Football Association has lined up a series of tributes for Messi, turning the clash against Benin into an extraordinary farewell night for a player whose name is bound up with the greatest moments of modern Argentine football.