Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that no Argentina player will wear the iconic No. 10 shirt before Messi’s final international appearance against Benin on October 6.
Argentina will leave its iconic No. 10 shirt vacant until Lionel Messi makes his farewell appearance for the national team, coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed.
The decision means no Argentina player will wear the number during the team’s matches against Bolivia and Burkina Faso before Messi returns for his final international appearance against Benin at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental on October 6.
Scaloni confirmed the decision ahead of Argentina’s friendly against Bolivia, explaining that the team is not required to assign the number for the current matches and that it will remain untouched until Messi’s farewell.
“We aren’t obligated to assign it for these matches, so we won’t give it to anyone until Leo’s farewell game,” Scaloni said, according to the Associated Press.
The coach also made clear that the shirt is not being permanently retired.
Instead, Argentina intends to eventually give the No. 10 to another player after Messi’s final appearance. Scaloni said the identity of Messi’s successor has not yet been decided.
Messi’s final Argentina appearance
Messi is scheduled to make his final appearance for Argentina on October 6, 2026, against Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
The Argentine Football Association invited Messi back for the match after the 39-year-old announced his retirement from international football. AFA president Claudio Tapia described the fixture as an opportunity to give the team's captain and icon the farewell he deserves.
The match is expected to be Messi’s 208th senior appearance for Argentina.
Before the farewell, Argentina's schedule includes the friendly against Bolivia in Córdoba and a meeting with Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires.
Argentina has already begun experimenting without Messi. In the Bolivia match, Scaloni used Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez together in attack, while Nicolás Paz was given greater creative responsibility.
A new era after Messi
Messi's departure marks the end of one of the most significant periods in Argentine football.
The forward has been Argentina's No. 10 throughout the majority of his international career and wore the shirt when he captained the country to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title.
He is Argentina's all-time leading scorer, with 125 international goals, and holds the country's appearance record.
His international honours include the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 World Cup.
Messi also played in the 2026 World Cup before announcing his international retirement following the tournament.
The October 6 match against Benin will therefore provide an opportunity for Argentine supporters to see him play in the national shirt one final time. FIFA has confirmed the match as his farewell appearance.
Argentina will eventually choose Messi’s successor
Although the No. 10 will remain vacant for the current international window, Scaloni has said it will eventually be assigned to another Argentina player.
That means the number is not being formally retired in honour of Messi at this point.
The identity of the next No. 10 remains undecided.
The decision gives Messi a final period in which the shirt remains exclusively associated with his farewell, before Argentina begins the process of establishing a new era.
For now, however, the No. 10 belongs to Messi.
Argentina's next matches will be played without anyone wearing the number, with the shirt set aside until the captain's final appearance at the Monumental on October 6.
