Lionel Messi has left Argentina with 125 goals, 207 appearances and a collection of trophies that transformed his international legacy. For many supporters, permanently retiring the No. 10 shirt would appear to be the most appropriate final honour.

The problem is that AFA has tried this before. More than two decades ago, the association attempted to remove the same number in honour of Diego Maradona, only for FIFA to intervene shortly before the 2002 World Cup.

AFA tried to protect Maradona’s number

According to Diario Huarpe’s detailed account of the dispute, AFA’s executive committee approved the retirement of Maradona’s No. 10 in September 2001. The decision was even applied temporarily during Argentina’s remaining World Cup qualifiers.

The difficulty emerged when AFA submitted its squad for the 2002 tournament. FIFA required the 23 players to be numbered consecutively, so Argentina proposed omitting No. 10 and giving third-choice goalkeeper Roberto Bonano the No. 24 shirt.

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The proposal initially received support from FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the tournament’s organising committee. However, that permission was withdrawn after a lengthy FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Seoul only days before the competition began.

“We have regulations, and it would not be fair to remove that number,” Blatter explained. Ariel Ortega was therefore required to wear No. 10 at the tournament, ending AFA’s attempt to place the shirt permanently beyond use.

The same obstacle now applies to Messi

Argentina can choose not to use No. 10 in individual friendly matches. What the association cannot guarantee is its permanent disappearance from FIFA competitions, where squad-numbering rules must be followed.

The Maradona precedent is therefore directly relevant to Messi. According to The Times of India’s examination of the current situation, the historic shirt will eventually have to return.

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That earlier FIFA decision produced an unexpected consequence. Juan Román Riquelme wore No. 10 at the 2006 World Cup before Messi inherited it permanently under Maradona’s management in 2009.

Had FIFA accepted AFA’s original plan, Messi might never have worn Argentina’s most famous number. The ruling that prevented Maradona from keeping it forever ultimately allowed another Argentine icon to make it his own.

Scaloni has reportedly chosen the next owner

The search for Messi’s successor may already be close to completion. According to beIN Sports, citing ESPN Argentina journalist Federico Bueno, Lionel Scaloni has reportedly selected Nico Paz to inherit the shirt if the coach extends his contract.

Paz is only 21 and has worn No. 18 during his first 11 senior appearances for Argentina. The Como midfielder was born in Spain, developed at Real Madrid and has emerged as one of Argentina’s most technically gifted young players.

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AFA and Scaloni have not officially confirmed the decision. Established players such as Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister could therefore still enter the discussion.

Whoever receives the shirt will inherit a number associated with both Maradona and Messi. FIFA’s refusal to let Argentina retire it means the No. 10 must live on, but choosing the first player to wear it after Messi may be one of Scaloni’s most sensitive decisions.

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