‘We are not tourists in Argentina’: Benin goalkeeper ahead of Lionel Messi’s farewell match

Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi NEW DELHI: Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou has made it clear that Argentina’s Lionel Messi farewell celebration will not stop his team from competing. As Benin prepares to face Argentina at the Monumental, the 28-year-old goalkeeper says he is focused on doing his job, even if it means denying Messi a goal on his final night.Dandjinou, who plays for Kruger United in the South African Premier Division, spoke to Spanish newspaper Marca after arriving in Buenos Aires.Despite reports of problems with Benin’s preparations, including claims of poor hotel facilities and training difficulties, he insisted the team had been treated well.“We have not faced any problems. Here in Buenos Aires we are fine. Why do you say that? The truth is that we had good conditions,” he said.

“We’re here to compete”

Dandjinou admitted that facing Messi makes the match particularly special, but stressed that Benin are not traveling to Argentina just to watch the superstar.“For me, this match is not like any other match. I think it’s an opportunity that won’t happen again because it’s Messi’s last match. It’s a special match. But, look, we’re here for Argentina and for Messi, but we mustn’t forget that we’re also representing our country,” he added.“We are here to defend Benin. This is football: eleven players against eleven. We can win or draw or they can win, but that is football. We are not here to be tourists in Argentina, we are here to play and compete. It will be a great day in our lives.”The goalkeeper has huge respect for Messi because he grew up watching him play.“For me, Messi is one of the legends of football. We grew up watching him play. He is one of our favorite players. To be able to play against him now, on the same pitch, is unbelievable. I never imagined it would happen, but it will happen on Tuesday. For me, Leo is a legend, a true legend,” he further commented.

Messi doesn’t have a free goal

When asked if he would allow Messi to score a penalty in the final minutes as a farewell gesture, Dandjinou responded forcefully.“No, no. I’m a goalkeeper and my job is to save the ball. Even if it’s the last minute and a penalty is awarded, if Messi takes it, I’ll try to save it. It’s that simple: it’s football. Yes, we’re here to celebrate Messi, but nobody asked us to score him. And knowing Messi, there’s no need to give him anything,” he explained.While every Benin player would love a Messi shirt, Dandjinou joked that the team could use a lot of them.“If you ask any player in my team, they’ll tell you they want his shirt. So it would be great if they made a bunch of shirts and gave each player one. Because if it’s just one of us asking for a shirt, I don’t think it’s going to be easy: we all want it,” he continued.“It would be a great honor for me to play and this memory will remain etched in my mind forever. During my career I will be able to say: I was there, in the last game of a legend, in the last game of Messi. It’s unbelievable.”On the eternal Messi-Cristiano debate, Ronaldo concluded: “We grew up with Messi and Cristiano. They taught us a lot about football. They have been competing for a long time. For me, Leo is one of the best players in the sport, indeed one of its kings.”