Argentina’s No. 10 shirt will remain unworn for two friendlies, held back for Lionel Messi’s final appearance in the iconic jersey.
Argentina keep No. 10 vacant before Messi farewell
- Argentina face Bolivia on Wednesday without assigning the No. 10 shirt to any player.
- The number will also be left vacant for Saturday’s friendly against Burkina Faso.
- Messi, now 39, is set to wear No. 10 one last time against Benin in the early hours of Wednesday, at 1am in France.
- Only after that farewell match will Argentina choose the player who succeeds him in the shirt, with no decision yet made.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni explained that friendly-match regulations do not require the national team to allocate every squad number. Argentina will therefore protect the shirt until Messi’s final game.
“For these matches, we do not have to give the No. 10 to a player, so nobody will wear it before Leo’s match,” Scaloni said.
The coach did not reveal who could inherit a number that has become inseparable from Messi’s international career. “We will decide later who receives it. We have not chosen yet,” he added.
Mastantuono was the last player to wear it
The most recent Argentina player other than Messi to take the No. 10 was Franco Mastantuono. He wore it during the 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Ecuador in September 2025.
For the next two matches, however, the shirt will stay in reserve — a quiet pause before Messi takes it onto the pitch for the last time.
