Rohr Angry As Benin Players Miss Chance To Meet Messi

(Benin's head coach Gernot Rohr Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Benin coach Gernot Rohr has criticised how his players were treated by Argentina after the friendly, saying they were not allowed to take photos with Lionel Messi or swap shirts with the Argentine players.

Argentina beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, in what was Messi's last game for the national team.

The 39-year-old set up Nicolás Otamendi and Nico Paz and also scored from the penalty spot.

Speaking on RMC radio on Wednesday, the former Nigeria coach said his team tried to meet Messi and the Argentine squad but security stopped them.

He said the only shame was that the Argentines gave them nothing, no photo with Messi and no shirt, and they were not even allowed into the tunnel or the dressing room.

Rohr said some Argentine players came to swap shirts, but security blocked it.

He said the Benin team also tried to give Messi a bouquet of flowers in the country's yellow, red and green colours, but that did not work either.

He did manage to get a 2018 Messi shirt signed.

He handed it to Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who got Messi to sign it and gave it back, but Rohr said that was all.

Messi called the night the saddest day of his career and said it was a huge pride to wear the jersey for more than 20 years.

He ended with 208 games and 126 goals, making him Argentina's most capped player and top scorer.