Lionel Messi’s international career has come to an historic end, leaving Argentina facing a question over the future of one of the most iconic jersey numbers in football: the No. 10.
The 39-year-old Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31, following Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. His decision brought the curtain down on a glittering international career spanning more than two decades.
In 2024, Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia said the federation planned to permanently retire the No. 10 jersey once Messi left the national team. The proposal would serve as a tribute to a player who transformed the number into a symbol of Argentine football.
Under Messi’s leadership, Argentina won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa América. He also became the country’s most-capped player and its all-time leading goalscorer.
However, FIFA regulations make it impossible for Argentina to permanently withdraw the No. 10 jersey at the World Cup.
FIFA regulations prevent the retirement of No. 10
Under FIFA’s World Cup regulations, players in a 26-member squad must be assigned shirt numbers from 1 through 26 consecutively. The No. 1 shirt must be worn by a goalkeeper.
As a result, Argentina cannot simply leave the No. 10 shirt vacant while assigning the other squad members numbers from 1 to 9 and 11 to 26. The No. 10 must be allocated to a player in the World Cup squad.
A similar numbering system applies to the Copa América. Under the regulations for the 2024 tournament, squad numbers were assigned consecutively according to the size of the squad.
This means the AFA can honor Messi symbolically and preserve the special status of the No. 10 in other ways, but it cannot permanently leave the shirt unused at major international tournaments governed by these regulations.
Maradona faced the same situation
Messi’s situation has a striking precedent involving another Argentine football legend, Diego Maradona.
Ahead of the 2002 World Cup, Argentina attempted to retire the No. 10 shirt in Maradona’s honor. FIFA rejected the proposal because of its rules requiring consecutive squad numbers.
As a result, Ariel Ortega, who was initially expected to wear No. 23, was given the No. 10 shirt at the tournament.
History is therefore likely to repeat itself with Messi. Argentina may preserve the symbolic significance of his famous No. 10 and honor his legacy in various ways, but at FIFA’s major tournaments, the shirt will have to be worn by another player.
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