Lionel Messi is about to take the pitch for Argentina one last time. The country's most-capped player and record goal scorer will bid an emotional farewell in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, on what will be his 208th appearance.
Messi announced his retirement from the national team on 31 August, six weeks after Argentina's World Cup final defeat by Spain, saying he had nothing more to give.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has indicated that if Messi ever wants to carry on, he can, and that there is no embarrassment in changing one's mind. But that chapter appears closed.
His club career, however, continues. Messi's contract with Inter Miami runs to the end of the 2028 season, but it is reviewed year by year. Those close to him do not expect him to walk away a day before he has to, and it is quite likely he will renew if he feels mentally and physically up for it.
What comes after that? People around him smile, because Messi has never really planned beyond his next game. The shape of what lies ahead is already visible: he will stay inside football, because he would struggle to live without it, but his other business interests stretch far outside the game.