Argentina wanted to retire Lionel Messi’s famous No. 10 shirt, but FIFA has stopped them, according to reports from GOAL.com on Thursday.
The Argentine Football Association planned to keep the number off the pitch forever after Messi's retirement from international football.
Messi announced on August 31 that he would step away from international play after over 20 years with Argentina.
The Inter Miami player is set to make his farewell appearance in front of Argentine fans on October 6. Argentina will face Benin in a friendly match at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Messi has played 207 matches for Argentina and scored 125 goals. He has worn the No. 10 shirt for most of his international career.
But FIFA rules say that teams in international tournaments must use squad numbers from 1 to 26. This means Argentina cannot retire the No. 10 shirt.
Liberia faced a similar problem when they retired the No. 14 shirt to honor former striker and president George Weah.
FIFA rules later required them to use that number during their 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, has not yet decided who will wear Messi’s number next.
“We are not obliged to assign it for the upcoming matches, so we will give it to no one until after Leo’s farewell match. We just have not yet decided who,” Scaloni told ESPN.
However, Federico Bueno, a reporter for ESPN Argentina, said that Nico Paz is the top choice to take Messi’s shirt if Scaloni stays on as coach.
“If Scaloni extends his contract as Argentina head coach, then Nico Paz will be the new number 10. That has been decided internally,” Bueno reported.
Paz, 22, is an attacking midfielder. He played for Real Madrid before moving to Italian club Como permanently for €60 million last summer.
He has made 11 appearances for Argentina and scored one goal.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇