Lionel Messi Retires from the Argentina National Team, Who Will Inherit the Iconic Number 10?

The number 10 jersey of the Argentina National Team enters a new chapter following Lionel Messi's decision to retire from International Football. The next question hangs: who will wear this iconic jersey now that the La Pulga era has concluded?

Messi is scheduled to play his farewell match for Argentina against Benin on 6 October. During this fixture, Messi will wear a special commemorative jersey as part of his send-off ceremony, and will once again take the pitch wearing the number 10.

For the time being, Argentina has not yet assigned the number 10 to any other player. The Football Federation of Argentina (AFA) intentionally reserved the number 10 for Messi throughout the September-October international break as a mark of respect for their former captain.

The number 10 will remain registered to Messi until his farewell match is completed. After this game, Argentina will select a new player to take over the number 10 for all subsequent international fixtures.

FIFA regulations prohibit national teams from permanently retiring jersey numbers. For this reason, Argentina's number 10 jersey will eventually have to be worn by another player.

This situation is slightly more manageable as the match against Benin is a friendly fixture. Unlike official matches such as World Cup Qualifiers, squad number allocations for friendly matches operate with far greater flexibility.

Lionel Scaloni Has Not Selected The New Number 10 Holder

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has not yet decided who will succeed Messi as the number 10. He confirmed that the number is being intentionally withheld from all other squad members until Messi plays his final match for the national side.

"We do not need to assign permanent squad numbers for a match like this. No one will receive this number before Leo has played his farewell game. It is already planned that the number 10 will have a new holder, it is an incredibly special number. But we have not yet made any decision on who that player will be," Scaloni stated in comments published by ESPN.

Scaloni's statement makes clear that Argentina will not rush to name Messi's successor for the number 10 jersey. This number carries enormous symbolic weight for the team, having been synonymous with Messi for well over a decade.

La Pulga first took the number 10 jersey for the Argentina National Team during the 2008/2009 season. Before settling on this iconic number, Messi previously wore shirt numbers 15, 18 and 19 for his country.

Since claiming the number 10 jersey, Messi built his historic legacy with Argentina. This number accompanied him throughout his entire international career, through every major trophy and milestone achieved with the national side.

Argentina now stands at a transition point. Following Messi's Farewell Match against Benin, the number 10 jersey will become available, and Scaloni along with his coaching staff will be tasked with selecting the player who will carry this number forward.

No official candidate has been named as Messi's successor yet, but the Argentina number 10 jersey will have a new owner now that La Pulga's era with the national team has come to a close.