Saturnin Allagbe expresses his admiration for Messi ahead of the Benin-Argentina friendly: “When you’ve grown up watching Messi play…”

The Benin Cheetahs’ goalkeeper spoke to RMC Sport about this exceptional fixture against Lionel Messi.

Benin will face Argentina on 6 October at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations.

But beyond the historic nature of this friendly match, Saturnin Allagbe makes no secret of his admiration for Lionel Messi.

“ When you’ve grown up watching Messi play, finding yourself on the same pitch as him is bound to be a special moment; we never imagined this could happen.

He’s a legend, the king of world football. The idea that he might play his final match against Benin is unimaginable. Honestly, experiencing it will be a special moment, the sort you never forget in a career. It’s already incredibly moving just to see him on the telly, so to be on the same pitch…”

But despite his emotions, the Beninese goalkeeper promises to stay focused on the sporting challenge.

“We’ll be there to defend our country, the colours of Benin. Once the match starts, we’ll have to put our emotions aside and stay focused on our objective.”