Argentina’s reported plan to retire Lionel Messi’s iconic No. 10 jersey has been blocked by FIFA regulations, according to GOAL.com. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) had reportedly planned to permanently retire the number following Messi’s expected retirement from international football. Messi announced on August 31 that he would step away……
Argentina’s reported plan to retire Lionel Messi’s iconic No. 10 jersey has been blocked by FIFA regulations, according to GOAL.com.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) had reportedly planned to permanently retire the number following Messi’s expected retirement from international football.
Messi announced on August 31 that he would step away from international duty after more than two decades representing Argentina.
The Inter Miami forward is expected to make his farewell appearance before the Argentine public on October 6, when Argentina face Benin in a friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Messi has made 207 appearances for Argentina and scored 125 goals, wearing the No. 10 shirt for much of his international career.
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However, FIFA regulations require teams participating in international final tournaments to use squad numbers from 1 to 26, meaning Argentina cannot permanently retire the No. 10 shirt.
Liberia faced a similar situation after retiring the No. 14 shirt in honour of former striker and president George Weah.
FIFA regulations later required Liberia to use the number during its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
With Messi’s shirt unable to be permanently retired, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has yet to decide who will inherit the number.
“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,” ESPN quoted Scaloni as saying.
However, ESPN Argentina reporter Federico Bueno reported that Nico Paz is the leading candidate to take over the shirt if Scaloni extends his contract as head 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 said.
Paz, 22, is an attacking midfielder who came through Real Madrid before joining Italian club Como permanently for €60 million last summer.
He has made 11 appearances for Argentina and scored one goal.
