--- title: "Argentina Will Stop All Football at the 10th Minute: AFA Approves Grand Tribute to Messi After His Farewell to the National Team" description: "AFA has approved a pause at the 10th minute in all matches across the country in honor of Messi, who has ended his international career. The ceremony will cover football, futsal, and beach soccer, and a career retrospective will be shown on the screens." date: 2026-09-03T16:24:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/argentina-stops-football-messi-tribute-afa tags: [lionel-messi, argentina-football, afa, national-team-retirement, ballon-dor, inter-miami] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Argentina Will Stop All Football at the 10th Minute: AFA Approves Grand Tribute to Messi After His Farewell to the National Team ![Lionel Messi in an emotional moment with the Argentine flag after his farewell match for the national team](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/03/argentina-ostanovit-futbol-chest-messi-afa-chesovanie/argentina-ostanovit-futbol-chest-messi-afa-chesovanie-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - AFA will pause all matches at the 10th minute of the first half for a one-minute ovation in honor of Messi - The initiative will cover men's and women's football, futsal, and beach soccer at all stadiums in Argentina - Messi ended his international career with 207 matches, 125 goals, and 68 assists - A video featuring the best moments of his career will be shown on multimedia screens before the matches begin The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has approved a large-scale initiative to honor Lionel Messi, who has officially announced the end of his career with the national team. By decision of the organization's leadership, in the upcoming matchday all competitions under the AFA umbrella will be paused at the 10th minute of the first half. The symbolic pause, timed to coincide with the legendary number 10, will last one minute, during which players, referees, and fans will give a standing ovation to the departing captain. The initiative will cover all levels and formats: men's and women's football tournaments, futsal, and beach soccer. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing an official statement from the Argentine Football Association. ### Ceremony Format and Multimedia Coverage In addition to the symbolic minute of silence and ovations, at stadiums equipped with multimedia screens, a special video featuring the best moments from the career of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will be shown before the kickoff whistle. In this way, AFA has combined the live reaction of the stands and players with a visual retrospective, creating a multi-layered emotional experience for the audience. A similar ceremony has already been held during the cup match between Boca Juniors and VΓ©lez, which allowed the organizers to work out the logistics of the pause and the synchronization of screens before the format's mass application at all arenas in the country. ### Messi β€” the Absolute Record Holder of the Albiceleste The 39-year-old Inter Miami striker bid farewell to the national team as the record holder in all key statistics. To his credit are 207 matches, 125 goals, and 68 assists in the Argentine national team jersey. These figures make him not just one of the best, but the undisputed leader of the statistical tables in the history of the Albiceleste in each of the three main parameters. Ending his international career at the peak of recognition and with a complete set of trophies turns the farewell into a national-scale event, going far beyond an ordinary football story. ### Trophy Collection and Historical Significance Together with the Argentine national team, Messi won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, became world champion at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and lifted the Copa AmΓ©rica trophy twice β€” in 2021 and 2024. This set of trophies covers all the major international tournaments in which the national team participates, making him the only player in the history of Argentine football to be the complete holder of the "golden" set at both the senior and Olympic levels. That is precisely why AFA deemed it necessary to organize the tribute not at a single stadium, but at all venues in the country simultaneously. ### Context of the Retirement Announcement Lionel Messi's official statement about ending his career with the national team was made on September 1, 2026, as confirmed by international media, including RFI. The decision of the 39-year-old Argentine, who continues an active club career with Inter Miami, became the culmination of a long cycle of fan expectations, who for over a decade followed his attempts to lead the national team to world triumph. Now AFA and fans across the country have the opportunity to collectively say "thank you" through a single ceremony, synchronized across all levels of national football. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [Football Will Be Stopped in Honor of Messi: Argentina Prepares a Grand Tribute to the Legend](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/zupinyat-futbol-chest-messi-argentini-gotuyut-1788452370.html) - ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Π²ΠΈΡ‡Π½Ρ‹ΠΉ источник: Π΄Π΅Ρ‚Π°Π»ΠΈ Ρ†Π΅Ρ€Π΅ΠΌΠΎΠ½ΠΈΠΈ (10-я ΠΌΠΈΠ½ΡƒΡ‚Π°, 1 ΠΌΠΈΠ½ΡƒΡ‚Π° ΠΏΠ°ΡƒΠ·Ρ‹, всС Ρ„ΠΎΡ€ΠΌΠ°Ρ‚Ρ‹, Π²ΠΈΠ΄Π΅ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠ»ΠΈΠΊ, статистика 207/125/68, Ρ‚Ρ€ΠΎΡ„Π΅ΠΈ). Π£ΠΊΠ°Π·Π°Π½Π° ссылка Π½Π° заявлСниС AFA. - [Messi to Be Honored at Argentine Stadiums](https://fakty.com.ua/ru/sport/futbol/20260903-argentyna-gotuye-masshtabne-vshanuvannya-messi-detali/) - НСзависимоС ΠΏΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚Π° чСствования Π½Π° стадионах АргСнтины, Π΄Π°Ρ‚ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π°Π½ΠΎ 03.09.2026. - [Lionel Messi Announces the End of His Career with the Argentine National Team](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82/20260901-%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%8A%D1%8F%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB-%D0%BE-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%8B-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8B) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚Π° объявлСния ΠΎ Π·Π°Π²Π΅Ρ€ΡˆΠ΅Π½ΠΈΠΈ ΠΊΠ°Ρ€ΡŒΠ΅Ρ€Ρ‹ Π² сборной, Π΄Π°Ρ‚ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π°Π½ΠΎ 01.09.2026. ΠœΠ΅ΠΆΠ΄ΡƒΠ½Π°Ρ€ΠΎΠ΄Π½ΠΎΠ΅ ΠΈΠ·Π΄Π°Π½ΠΈΠ΅, Π½Π΅ Π°Ρ„Ρ„ΠΈΠ»ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π°Π½Π½ΠΎΠ΅ с аргСнтинскими БМИ. - [10 Key Moments of Messi with the Argentine National Team](https://www.sports.ru/football/blogs/3456167.html) - ΠšΠΎΠ½Ρ‚Π΅ΠΊΡΡ‚Π½Ρ‹ΠΉ источник: рСтроспСктива ΠΊΠ°Ρ€ΡŒΠ΅Ρ€Ρ‹ МСсси Π² сборной, согласуСтся с пСрСчислСнными трофСями ΠΈ статистикой. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: When exactly will the ceremony honoring Messi take place at Argentine stadiums? **A:** The ceremony will be held in the upcoming matchday of all competitions under the AFA umbrella. The pause will begin at the 10th minute of the first half of each match and will last one minute. A similar ceremony has already been tested in the cup match between Boca Juniors and VΓ©lez. ### Q: Which specific tournaments will the minute of ovation in honor of Messi cover? **A:** The initiative will cover all formats under AFA management: men's and women's football, futsal, and beach soccer competitions. In other words, the pause will be introduced at all levels of national football simultaneously. ### Q: What are Messi's records for the Argentine national team confirmed at the time of his farewell? **A:** According to AFA, Messi ended his international career with 207 matches played, 125 goals scored, and 68 assists, remaining the absolute record holder in all three categories in the history of the Albiceleste. ### Q: What trophies has Messi won with the Argentine national team? **A:** With the Argentine national team, Messi won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, the 2022 World Cup, and two Copa AmΓ©rica titles (in 2021 and 2024).