By Enitan Abdultawab
Lionel Messi may have ended his international career, but Argentina will not be able to permanently withdraw the iconic No. 10 shirt because of FIFA’s regulations on squad numbers.
Messi confirmed his decision to step away from international football on August 31, two days after Argentina lost the 2026 FIFA World Cup final to Spain.
Although his retirement had been widely anticipated, the announcement officially brought the curtain down on a remarkable international career that saw him win the World Cup in 2022.
The Argentina Football Association had previously expressed its desire to retire the No. 10 shirt in honour of Messi. AFA president Claudio Tapia said as far back as 2014 that the number would be retired once the legendary forward ended his international career.
However, FIFA regulations prevent national teams from leaving squad numbers permanently unused.
The rules require every shirt number within a national team squad to be assigned to a player. Therefore, Argentina would have to give the No. 10 jersey to another player rather than permanently reserve it for Messi.
The regulation is not new and had previously affected Diego Maradona. Argentina could not retire the No. 10 shirt after Maradona’s career, allowing Messi to eventually inherit the number and build his own legacy with it.
A similar situation has also occurred in club football. Barcelona were unable to permanently withdraw the No. 10 shirt because of La Liga regulations before eventually handing it to Lamine Yamal.
Franco Mastantuono was the most recent player to wear Argentina’s No. 10 in Messi’s absence, taking the shirt when the captain missed a match in September 2025.
With Messi now out of the national team picture, Como midfielder Nico Paz is among the players being considered to take over the famous number. Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez is another possible candidate.
Whoever inherits the shirt will face enormous expectations, given the extraordinary legacy Messi leaves behind after wearing No. 10 for Argentina for many years.
Messi finished his international career as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with 125 goals and represented the country at six World Cups. He also led La Albiceleste to the 2022 World Cup title, ending Argentina’s 36-year wait for the trophy.
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