Messi to return to his farewell ground Monumental, this time in Inter Miami colours

After long discussion, the official announcement has finally come. Lionel Messi will return at the start of the new year to the Monumental, the stadium where he played his farewell match in Argentina's shirt. Inter Miami coach Kily Gonzalez had also made a strong claim about the fixture.

Messi played his farewell match for Argentina at the Monumental on October 7, against Benin. This time he will return there with Inter Miami. On January 19, 2027, Inter Miami will play River Plate in an international friendly. River Plate confirmed the match in a statement on social media today.

The friendly against River Plate will be Messi's first club-level match in Argentina. He previously took part in Juan Riquelme's farewell match at La Bombonera and in Maxi Rodriguez's farewell match at the Coloso Marcelo Bielsa stadium. But he has never played in Argentina for any club — not Barcelona, not PSG and not Inter Miami.

River Plate will finish their pre-season preparations with this match. Who will be the team's coach by then remains uncertain, however. Interim coach Leonardo Ponzio's tenure is due to end this December. River will then wait to begin their new journey in the upcoming Apertura tournament.

How much excitement the January 19 match at the Monumental draws will depend largely on River Plate's performance in the ongoing Clausura tournament. River will face Lanus in the tournament's round of 16 on November 22.

Messi has never played a club match on Argentine soil, but he has faced River Plate once before. In the 2015 Club World Cup final, the Argentine superstar lined up against River for Barcelona. Barcelona won that match, played at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, by 3-0. Messi scored once, and his friend Luis Suarez scored twice.

Messi and Suarez have since been reunited at Inter Miami. Miami sit second in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 60 points from 34 matches, having won 16, drawn 12 and lost 6. New England are third with 58 points, while Nashville top the table with 77. Every team has played 34 matches.

Messi has played a record 208 matches for Argentina. He also holds the team's scoring record with 126 goals and has provided 69 assists.

On July 19 he came close to retaining the World Cup, but in the final in New Jersey, Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win their second World Cup. Argentina failed in their mission to win back-to-back World Cups, while Spain reclaimed the title after 16 years.

Forty-three days after that World Cup final heartbreak, Messi announced his retirement from international football on social media. Thinking of the fans who had given him so many memorable moments over 21 years, he nevertheless played his final match in Argentina's shirt on home soil on October 7, and broke down in tears during his farewell speech.