The Argentine great announced his retirement from international football on Monday, bringing an end to an era just six weeks after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey.
South African fans never saw him play against their national team, though he did, of course, feature at the 2010 World Cup, where Diego Maradona’s Argentina were beaten 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals.
But Messi did face South African opposition. Barcelona came to the country in 2018 for the Mandela Centenary Cup, which marked 100 years since the birth of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
It was not Barça’s first visit. They had also played Sundowns in 2007 and won 2-1, but a young Messi did not feature on that occasion.
Both visits came through the links between then-Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe and the Catalan club. Motsepe also had a relationship with the late Johan Cruyff, whose advice he sought and who recommended former Barcelona players Hristo Stoichkov and Johan Neeskens to coach Sundowns.
At the time, it was reported that mining billionaire Motsepe paid Barça €3 million for their 2018 visit. There was also a contractual element to Messi’s participation, with Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde later acknowledging that his appearance in the friendly was due to a “contractual issue”.
Messi did not start the game but came off the bench in the 74th minute, much to the delight of the local fans at Soccer City.
Barcelona’s goals were scored by Ousmane Dembélé, Luis Suárez and André Gomes, while Sibusiso Vilakazi scored for Sundowns.
Messi played every minute of Argentina’s 2010 World Cup campaign on South African soil but did not score. His only direct goal contribution was an assist for Carlos Tevez’s controversial opening goal against Mexico in the round of 16, with Tevez clearly in an offside position when Messi played the ball to him.
