Why Argentina can’t retire Messi’s legendary No. 10 shirt

Argentina will not be able to officially retire Lionel Messi’s iconic No. 10 shirt from international competitions despite his expected departure from the national team.

Messi recently said goodbye to Argentina after making his 208th appearance for the country, holding the national records for both appearances and goals with 126 international goals.

The 39-year-old’s international career includes Copa América triumphs in 2021 and 2024, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup title.

However, FIFA regulations prevent Argentina from permanently retiring the No. 10 shirt for major international tournaments, according to The Athletic.

FIFA and confederation tournament rules require teams to assign consecutive squad numbers to their players. With World Cup squads capped at 26 players, Argentina must use numbers from 1 to 26, meaning the No. 10 shirt cannot simply be removed from the squad numbering system.

Argentina previously attempted to retire the No. 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona. FIFA rejected the request ahead of the 2002 World Cup, with Ariel Ortega subsequently wearing the famous number.

Unlike national teams, some clubs have retired shirt numbers to honour legendary players. Liverpool retired the No. 20 shirt following the death of Diogo Jota, while Ajax retired Johan Cruyff’s No. 14 and AC Milan retired the numbers worn by Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi.

Argentina could, however, keep Messi’s No. 10 shirt unused during international friendlies, where squad-numbering rules are more flexible.

The No. 10 is expected to remain one of the most recognisable symbols of Messi’s historic career with Argentina.