FIFA ban special tribute to Lionel Messi (39)
FIFA have blocked a special tribute Argentina wanted to pay to Lionel Messi. The Argentine Football Association want to retire the number 10 shirt after the 39-year-old forward's retirement, but the world governing body's regulations make that impossible.
Messi announced on 31 August that he is retiring from international football after an impressive career spanning more than two decades. The Inter Miami forward will officially say goodbye to the Argentine public on 6 October during the friendly against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
After that, Argentina want to retire the iconic number 10 shirt permanently. Messi won 207 caps and scored 125 goals. The superstar led his country to the final of the 2026 World Cup for the third time, where Spain were again too strong and won 1-0.
FIFA's rules, however, are an insurmountable obstacle for Argentina. During international final tournaments, teams must assign squad numbers 1 to 26, which means they cannot permanently withdraw a number within that range.
Liberia ran into the same problem in the past. The country had retired the number 14 shirt as a tribute to George Weah, but during qualification for the 2026 World Cup Nicholas Andrews still had to wear it because of FIFA guidelines.
So far, head coach Lionel Scaloni has not announced who will inherit Messi's number. “We are not obliged to assign it for the upcoming matches, so we are giving it to no one until after Leo's farewell match. We just have not yet decided to whom,” said the 48-year-old coach.
According to ESPN Argentina reporter Federico Bueno, however, a decision has already been made behind the scenes on the leading candidate. “If Scaloni extends his contract as Argentina head coach, then Nico Paz will become the new number 10. That has been decided internally,” Bueno said.
Paz, 22, is regarded as one of the most promising attacking midfielders in the world. The former Real Madrid midfielder left permanently for Como last summer for sixty million euros and has a buy-back clause of eighty million euros in his contract. He has so far made eleven appearances for Argentina and scored once.
