Argentina FA boss wants to retire Lionel Messi’s No. 10 to honor World Cup winner once he calls it quits

Lionel Messi may still be suiting up for Argentina, but his national team is planning a tribute for him once he officially retires from international soccer. Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia said on Saturday that the organization will retire Messi’s No. 10 jersey, previously worn by Diego Maradona. The plans to honor Messi’s ongoing legacy comes after he won the 2022 World Cup, the nation’s first title since 1986, as well as the 2021 Copa America.

“When Messi retires from the national team, we will not allow anyone else to wear the number 10 after him,” Tapia said in a press conference. “This number 10 will be retired for life in his honor. It’s the least we can do for him.”

Messi has yet to announce his retirement from the national team and is expected to be part of the fold at next summer’s Copa America, when the team will mount their title defense in an expanded version of the competition hosted in the United States. The 36-year-old, though, recognizes that he is close to the end of his career and cannot guarantee that he will compete for Argentina for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“I am not thinking about the World Cup and I am not saying 100 percent that I will not be there because anything can happen,” he said in an interview earlier this month. “Given my age, the most normal thing is that I will not be there. Then we will see to what extent. Maybe we do well in the Copa America and we continue. Maybe not. Being realistic is difficult.”

Retiring numbers is a common phenomenon in the club game but has not become a way to honor players for their national team accomplishments. It is also unclear if FIFA rules allow for the AFA to retire Messi’s number since world soccer’s governing body requires players to wear all numbers from one to 23 during official competitions.

The AFA previously attempted to retire the No. 10 as a tribute to Maradona, but FIFA turned down the request, per Reuters. It is unclear if the organization would be interested in changing their rules this time around.