"We were very happy to be a part of history, especially with a great football legend like Messi," Coach Rohr began in an interview with the French radio program Rothen s’enflamme on RMC Sport on 8/10. "Playing at El Monumental stadium was a special adventure for my players."

Lionel Messi during the Argentina - Benin friendly match on 6/10/2026, at El Monumental stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina. *Photo: AP*

However, the German coach quickly pointed out a regrettable aspect of the organization. "The only blemish was that we really wanted to swap jerseys with Messi, but we didn't get even one. They gave us nothing, not even a shared photo with Messi," he emphasized. "They didn't even allow us into Argentina's locker room hallway. Security personnel prevented everyone. Some of my players even brought jerseys ready to swap with Argentinian national team members, trying everything but to no avail."

The 73-year-old coach also recalled a kind gesture by the Benin team before kickoff, when the West African representatives presented Messi with special gifts during the coin toss ceremony. "My player, midfielder Sessi D'Almeida, who idolizes Messi, gave him a red rose and an Amazone Warrior statue as a gift. We tried everything, but it was all unsuccessful," he recounted.

Many videos and images of the match shared on social media showed Benin players attempting to approach the Argentinian superstar for photos, but all failed. The official ESPN account also commented on that moment: "A Benin player took the opportunity to snap a selfie with Messi while two others were arguing over who would get his jersey".

A post on ESPN's official X page about the post-match moment: "A Benin player took the opportunity to snap a selfie with Messi while two others were arguing over who would get his jersey". *Photo: X/ESPN*

However, Rohr himself was luckier than his players. As head coach, he managed to ask his counterpart, Lionel Scaloni, to send Messi an Argentina captain's jersey that he had kept since 2018, thereby securing an autograph.

"I personally managed to get Messi's autograph through Coach Scaloni," the coach, born in 1953, revealed. "I asked him to hold the 2018 Messi jersey I had from the World Cup, when I was coaching Nigeria. Scaloni took it to get Messi's autograph and then returned it to me. I had to wait for half an hour, but it was fine. Overall, everything was wonderful, and we played the match without any pressure. The result was not the most important thing. Professionally, the most significant thing was learning, and my young players gained an invaluable international experience that no one had ever dared to dream of before."

Sessi D'Almeida (left) presents Lionel Messi with an Amazone Warrior statue before the Argentina – Benin friendly match at El Monumental stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina on 6/10/2026. *Photo: TyC Sports*

Coach Rohr played for 12 years with Girondins Bordeaux until 1989. Afterwards, he led the same French team to the UEFA Cup final (the predecessor of the Europa League). He also had a coaching career with clubs such as Nantes, Nice, Ajaccio, Creteil, and several African national teams like Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) only issued a brief statement that the recent friendly matches complied with FIFA's regulations for international matches, and met the standards for "highest-level international friendlies". However, behind this were also economic considerations.

According to the Argentinian newspaper La Nacion, African national teams invited by the AFA to play received very low fees, or even no remuneration at all when agreeing to face Argentina.

By Ha Phuong (according to RMC Sport)