Argentina blocked from retiring Lionel Messi’s No. 10 shirt due to FIFA rules
Argentina’s ambitions to permanently retire the iconic No. 10 shirt in honor of football legend Lionel Messi have hit a major brick wall due to strict FIFA tournament regulations.
Messi officially announced his retirement from international football on August 31, closing the chapter on a legendary career spanning over two decades. The 39-year-old Inter Miami star is set to make his final bow for La Albiceleste on October 6 in a farewell fixture against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
To pay tribute to Messi’s unmatched contributions—highlighted by 125 goals in 207 international appearances—the Argentine Football Association (AFA) sought to freeze his jersey number. However, FIFA guidelines mandate that squad numbers for official international tournaments must be assigned strictly between 1 and 26, making it impossible for national teams to permanently retire any shirt number.
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This isn’t the first time FIFA’s squad regulations have foiled such plans. Liberia previously attempted to retire the No. 14 jersey to honor legendary forward George Weah, but FIFA rules compelled them to reissue the shirt to Nicholas Andrews during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to fulfill the requirement for a fully numbered 23-man squad.
Messi’s international swan song comes on the heels of a stellar campaign at the 2026 World Cup, where he finished second in the golden boot race behind Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. Despite his individual brilliancy, Argentina missed out on consecutive world titles following a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final.
Before Messi’s final send-off against Benin, Argentina will face Burkina Faso in an international friendly on Saturday, October 3.
Manager Lionel Scaloni has already confirmed that former Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero will take over the captaincy from Messi. However, Scaloni noted that assigning the iconic No. 10 jersey remains on hold for now.
“We aren’t obligated to assign it for these matches, so we won’t give it to anyone until Leo’s farewell game,” Scaloni revealed during a press conference. “The idea is for someone to eventually take it on, given how special it is to wear. We just haven’t decided who yet.”
Despite Scaloni’s public stance, internal decisions appear to have been finalized. ESPN Argentina journalist Federico Bueno reports that 22-year-old Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz has been selected internally to inherit the legendary shirt, provided Scaloni renews his tenure as head coach.
Paz has emerged as one of Europe’s top young talents following a €60 million move from Real Madrid to Serie A outfit Como, registering 40 goal involvements across 81 matches. Real Madrid retained an €80 million buy-back clause on the youngster, who is also attracting strong interest from Premier League giants Arsenal and Chelsea. Paz currently has 11 caps and one goal for Argentina.
