Video: Martinez surprises Messi before the farewell

Originally posted on Goal.com | By Ahmad Salah | Last updated Oct 6, 2026 4:54 PM ET

A familiar gesture: this time for an Argentina legend

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has got a special haircut in honour of his captain Lionel Messi ahead of his farewell match with the Argentine national team.

Just hours before Wednesday morning's friendly against Benin at the Monumental, the goalkeeper showed off his new design.

Dani Ali, the Argentina national team's hairdresser, posted a picture on his Instagram account showing off the new look: the famous letter "M" carved into one side of his head.

View this post on Instagram

This is nothing new. Martinez often switches up his hair before matches of high symbolic significance with Argentina.

The most notable change came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Once the group stage ended, Martinez dyed his hair in the colours of his country's flag, light blue and white, before the round-of-16 clash with Australia.

March 2023 brought another design. Before the friendly against Panama at the Monumental, staged to celebrate the national team's World Cup win, the goalkeeper opted for a star on the back of his neck. The same barber did the work, and the picture went up on social media before kick-off.

This time the change had nothing to do with a round of qualifiers or a title celebration. It marked the match in which Argentina's fans will see their legend Lionel Messi in the national team shirt for the last time.

This article first appeared on Goal.com and was syndicated with permission.

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