Messi retires, but Argentina must keep No. 10 in circulation
Lionel Messi may have ended his international career, but Argentina will not be able to permanently retire the iconic No. 10 jersey because of FIFA regulations governing 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. His retirement had been widely expected, but the announcement formally ended an outstanding international career that included winning the 2022 World Cup. The Argentina Football Association, AFA, had previously expressed its intention to retire the No. 10 shirt in Messi’s honour, with AFA president Claudio Tapia saying as far back as 2014 that the number would be withdrawn once the forward ended his international career. However, FIFA rules require every shirt number in a national team squad to be assigned to a player, meaning Argentina cannot permanently reserve No. 10 for Messi. The regulation is not new and had also prevented Argentina from retiring the number after Diego Maradona’s career. That allowed Messi to eventually inherit the shirt and create his own remarkable legacy with it. A similar situation occurred at Barcelona, where the No. 10 jersey could not be permanently withdrawn because of La Liga regulations before eventually being given to Lamine Yamal.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 inherit the famous number, while Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez is another possible candidate. Whoever takes over the jersey will inherit enormous expectations because of the legacy Messi built while wearing it for Argentina. Messi ended his international career as the country’s all-time leading scorer with 125 goals and represented Argentina at six World Cups. He also captained La Albiceleste to the 2022 World Cup title, ending the country’s 36-year wait for the trophy. Although FIFA’s squad-number regulations mean the No. 10 must continue to be worn by another Argentine player, the number’s association with Messi is likely to remain one of the most enduring symbols of his international career.
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