The Benin national football team will be the special guests at Lionel Messi's international farewell match, taking place from Tuesday night to Wednesday. The Squirrels are enjoying a wonderful few days in Buenos Aires.
The Argentine television channel C5N spotted defender Mohamed Tijani in a store in the Argentine capital. He was picking out souvenirs for his young son with the team doctor, and Tijani seemed more focused on that than on marking Messi.
“Marking Messi? No way, we’re just going to enjoy the match. We don’t really have a specific strategy for him,” Tijani said with a laugh.
Far from being arrogant: Tijani praises Messi highly. “He’s the best player in the world. I’m going to watch him and tell him he’s a god,” added Tijani, who is currently without a club, expressing his intention not to disturb Messi too much.
“We just want to celebrate this. Messi’s last international match,” Tijani said, smiling as he strolled through the streets of Buenos Aires.
Tijani is well-known to the Argentine press: he even gave an interview to Olé. He revealed that he hopes to bring back another souvenir from his visit to Estadio Monumental: the star player’s jersey.
“I want Messi’s jersey. I’ll tell him that I admire him. This is a very special match for me. I’m going to bring this jersey home for my mother.”
