Argentina will be unable to permanently retire Lionel Messi’s iconic number 10 jersey because of FIFA regulations.
The Argentine Football Association had planned to keep the number 10 shirt unused following Messi’s retirement from international football.
Messi announced his international retirement on August 31 after more than two decades with the national team.
The Inter Miami forward will formally bid farewell to Argentine supporters on October 6 during a friendly match against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Messi has made 207 international appearances and scored 125 goals for Argentina. He also led the country to the 2026 World Cup final, where Spain secured a 1 0 victory.
FIFA regulations require teams competing in international final tournaments to assign squad numbers from 1 to 26. As a result, Argentina cannot permanently retire the number 10 jersey.
Liberia faced a similar situation after retiring the number 14 shirt in honour of George Weah. During the 2026 World Cup qualification process, Nicholas Andrews was required to wear the number because of FIFA requirements.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has yet to reveal who will inherit Messi’s number 10 shirt.
“We are not required to assign it for forthcoming matches, so we will allocate it to no one until after Leo’s farewell match. We have simply not yet determined who,” stated the 48 year old manager.
