Argentina Cannot Retire Lionel Messi’s No. 10 Shirt Due to FIFA Rules

Lionel Messi has officially brought his remarkable international career with Argentina to an emotional end, but there is one special tribute the country cannot make permanent: retiring his iconic No. 10 shirt.

Messi said goodbye to the Argentina national team after his farewell appearance against Benin at the Estadio Monumental. He finished his international career with 208 appearances and 126 goals, making him Argentina’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer. 1

🇦🇷 Messi Leaves Behind an Unforgettable Legacy

Messi's international journey lasted more than two decades and included some of the biggest achievements in Argentine football history.

He helped Argentina win the Copa América in 2021, the Finalissima in 2022, the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the Copa América in 2024.

His final appearance against Benin ended with another memorable performance, as Messi scored and provided two assists in Argentina's 3–0 victory. 2

🔟 Why Argentina Cannot Retire Messi's No. 10

Retiring a famous shirt number is possible at club level, but national teams face different rules in major international competitions.

FIFA's World Cup regulations require participating teams to submit squads with designated shirt numbers. At the 2026 World Cup, Argentina's 26-player squad was assigned numbers from 1 to 26, with Messi wearing the legendary No. 10. 3

That means Argentina cannot simply remove the No. 10 from its tournament squad numbering and leave the number permanently unused.

👑 Argentina Already Tried It for Maradona

This is not the first time Argentina has faced the problem.

Before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Argentine Football Association attempted to retire the No. 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona.

FIFA rejected the proposal because of the tournament's squad-number requirements. Argentina eventually had to assign the No. 10 shirt to Ariel Ortega for the World Cup. 4

The situation involving Messi is therefore very similar to what happened with Maradona more than two decades ago.

💙 The No. 10 Can Still Be Honoured

Although Argentina cannot permanently retire the shirt for major FIFA competitions, there are ways to honour Messi's number outside those tournaments.

Reports indicate that Argentina can leave the No. 10 unused in certain friendly matches, where the same tournament squad-number restrictions do not apply in the same way. 5

However, when Argentina enters competitions governed by FIFA's squad-number regulations, the No. 10 must remain available.

🌟 Messi's No. 10 Legacy

The No. 10 shirt will now carry an even greater meaning for Argentina.

Maradona made it legendary.

Messi turned it into a symbol of an entire generation.

From his first Argentina appearances to World Cup glory in 2022, Messi's No. 10 became inseparable from the identity of the national team.

Now Argentina must eventually decide who will inherit one of the most famous shirts in football.

The shirt can be passed on. Messi's legacy cannot. 🇦🇷🔟👑

CHAG SPORTS | FOOTBALL NEWS