Lionel Messi’s Argentina Number 10 Successor: Who Will Replace The Atomic Flea?
Ben McAleer
The curtain has come down on Lionel Messi’s Argentina career. The Atomic Flea bowed out from the national team on a high in the early hours of Wednesday morning as the 2022 World Cup winners claimed a 3-0 win over Benin.
Of course Messi was on the scoresheet at the Monumental, tucking away a 71st minute penalty as supporters witnessed their captain in action for the 208th and final time. "I leave grateful, proud and at peace. Thank you for everything,” the iconic Argentine said at full time.
Now, attention turns to his successor for the number 10 shirt. The next player to take on the legendary jersey for La Albiceleste. It’s a heavy burden to shoulder. Diego Maradona and Messi are two idols to have worn the shirt. We’ve picked out a handful of attackers who could now succeed Messi.
Julian Alvarez
The safest bet for head coach Lionel Scaloni is to hand Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez the number 10 shirt. Alvarez has routinely shown up for his country, playing an instrumental role in World Cup 2026 qualifying, registering seven goal contributions.
Conversely, Alvarez is less the playmaker, which does stand against the 26-year-old. The number 10 shirt should go to a forward who brings that sparkle of magic to the frontline. The Atleti star doesn’t quite have that pazazz about him to follow in the footsteps of Maradona and Messi.
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He is an experienced option for Scaloni, no less, and given his track record for club and country, has the mental fortitude to take on the mantle.
Nico Paz
Nico Paz hasn’t set the world alight for his country. At club level, though, he is shining. The 22-year-old was Como’s star man last season, scoring 12 and providing a further six assists as Cesc Fabregas’ side secured Champions League football.
There is an argument to be made that he is the closest like-for-like Messi replacement Scaloni can call upon. Willing to drift across the frontline to find pockets of space, Paz is a technically gifted number 10 who looks at home on the biggest stage.
Indeed, he thrived on his Champions League debut last month, providing two assists and completing four take ons as Como eased to a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig. That he scored two minutes after his introduction in Messi’s final match, a fine left-footed effort from range, should aid his cause.
Franco Mastantuono
Franco Mastantuono’s move to Real Madrid was expected to be the making of the teenage attacker. Instead, the switch hasn’t gone quite according to plan. The 19-year-old made just 11 league starts in his debut campaign in La Liga, scoring once and collecting five yellow cards.
As such, Mastantuono was loaned to Serie A side Fiorentina, where for all intents and purposes, he’s made a solid start to life. The left-footed right-winger has scored three times, albeit all of which came in a 4-2 win at Venezia.
Mastantuono also scored for Argentina during the extended international break, hitting the back of the net in the 7-0 win over Burkina Faso earlier this month. He has the flair to succeed Messi, evident in that he’s creating 2.4 chances and completing 2.1 take ons per 90 in Serie A this season.
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What’s more, he’s worn the famous Argentina number 10 shirt previously, doing so in a World Cup qualifying meeting with Ecuador. In the process, he became the youngest ever Argentine player to sport the jersey, breaking Maradona’s record in the process.
Despite his tender years, Mastantuono has what it takes to take on the burden of being Argentina’s next number 10. He’d be a wildcard option for Scaloni, but one that could just pay off handsomely.
Will Argentina retire the number 10?
While a number of club teams have retired shirt numbers in the past, Birmingham City doing so with the number 22 following Jude Bellingham’s move to Borussia Dortmund, while Liverpool followed suit with the number 20 following the tragic passing of Diogo Jota last year, the same rules don’t apply at international level.
FIFA regulations prevent Argentina from retiring the number 10 shirt. That’s because World Cup rules stipulate that participating nations must assign shirt numbers 1 through to 26. It means Argentina can’t leave the number 10 vacant when submitting their official squads.
It wouldn’t be the first time Argentina have tried to retire a shirt number 10, previously hoping to do so when Maradona called time on his career.
