Why Did the Players from Benin Gift a Statue to Antonela, Messi's Wife?

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In the moments leading up to the kickoff of the match between Argentina and Benin on Tuesday, which was Lionel Messi's last game in his national team's jersey, there was a notable scene when Sessi Dalmida, the captain of the African team in the match, presented a gift to the legend, but it was not intended for the Argentine star; rather, it was for his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, according to Argentine media.

Before the starting whistle, during the ceremony of the draw, Dalmida surprised Messi with several gifts, including a message from the Benin national team players, a flower, and a small statue representing a miniature version of the famous 'Amazon Memorial' in the city of Cotonou.

Argentine reports indicated that the statue was not a gift for Messi himself, but for his wife Antonela, as it symbolizes strength, courage, and protection, and the idea of presenting it to her was to make her the warrior who takes on the role of 'protecting the king.'

The pre-match ceremony also saw the presence of Steve Mounié, the main captain of the Benin national team, who missed the match due to injury but accompanied his country's delegation to Argentina.

Monier, who plays for Augsburg in Germany, previously faced Messi at the club level when the Argentine was a player for Paris Saint-Germain, while the Benin striker was defending the colors of Stade Brest.

The gesture came in Messi's last match wearing the Argentina national team jersey, which ended with the world champion winning 3-0, during which the 39-year-old scored one goal and assisted two.