Lionel Messi’s final Argentina appearance was supposed to bring together almost the entire group that helped him win the 2022 World Cup, but two familiar faces will be missing from the occasion. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina were both invited to attend the farewell with their families, yet their return to Argentina will have to wait after Roma decided the timing was simply too difficult for the club.
Roma block Dybala and Molina from travelling to Argentina
AFA president Claudio Tapia invited every member of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to attend Messi’s farewell against Benin, with the players and their families expected to be part of the celebrations at the Estadio Monumental.Dybala and Molina have now become the first two confirmed absences from that group, after Roma refused to release the pair for the transatlantic trip despite neither player being involved with Argentina during the current international window.Roma explained their decision in a statement issued on Tuesday, pointing to the length of the journey and the proximity of the club’s next competitive commitments.“AS Roma announces that Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not participate in the event organized in Argentina for the match between Argentina and Benin on October 6,” the statement said.“The club recognizes the importance of this appointment for the two players, who are linked to Lionel Messi and played a key role in his victory at the 2022 World Cup. The club’s choice was based on sporting and logistical reasons, linked to the length of the intercontinental trip and the proximity of official commitments.”“AS Roma expresses its utmost respect for Lionel Messi and his extraordinary career, wishing him and the Argentine Federation a special evening.”Roma currently lead Serie A after five matches, level on points with reigning champions Inter Milan and city rivals Lazio, which has made the club particularly reluctant to lose important players for a ceremonial trip at this stage of the season.
Gasperini explains why the timing was impossible
Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini also addressed the decision before Messi’s farewell, making the issue sound much more practical than personal.Roma’s first match after the international break comes away to Como 1907 on October 11, only five days after Messi’s final Argentina appearance, while a major meeting with Real Madrid follows soon afterwards.Speaking to Sky Sport Italia on Monday, Gasperini explained why he did not want Dybala and Molina making the long journey to South America before returning directly into a demanding domestic schedule.“We are too close to an important game like our one on Sunday [to let Dybala and Molina fly to and from Argentina],” Gasperini said. “We’re a long way from Argentina and sending them there would have meant making them fly for a lot of hours so close to the match and Roma preferred for that not to happen.”Despite blocking the trip, Gasperini made clear that he understood what the occasion means for Messi and those who played alongside him during Argentina’s greatest period of recent success.“Messi’s farewell will be emotional,” Gasperini said. “Personally, I’ve seen lots of star players, initially as a player myself and then as a coach, but it’s hard to think of anyone who’s achieved what Lionel has. I’m sorry to see his career with the Albiceleste come to an end.”
Why Dybala and Molina were not with Argentina anyway
Had Lionel Scaloni selected Dybala and Molina for Argentina’s September-October international window, Roma would have had little room to prevent either player from travelling for Messi’s farewell.Their absence from the squad, however, comes for very different reasons.Dybala has not played for Argentina since making a brief appearance against Colombia during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on September 10, 2024.Despite producing strong seasons in European football, Dybala has never established himself as a regular part of Scaloni’s attacking plans, with his position overlapping with Messi and younger players such as Nico Paz and Franco Mastantuono now receiving opportunities ahead of him.Molina’s situation is more straightforward, because he remains unavailable to Argentina while serving a seven-match suspension for his involvement in the clashes that followed the 2026 World Cup final.The pair have nevertheless remained closely linked to the generation that delivered Argentina’s third World Cup star, with Dybala and Molina combining for 105 international appearances.While they will miss the chance to share Messi’s farewell with their former World Cup teammates, several other Serie A-based players will attend, including Inter captain Lautaro Martínez, Juventus winger Nico González and Como forward Nico Paz.Roma will also have three players represented at the occasion through Argentina’s squad, with Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro included for the farewell match.
