He inherited the No. 10 shirt from former team-mate Ronaldinho, and the shirt holds a huge amount of weight in and of itself, usually reserved for the central playmakers of the team. Messi has spoken about the influence Ronaldinho has had on his career, especially with guiding him on transitioning into the senior side.
Messi later went on to inherit Maradona's number 10 shirt and role as captain for Argentina. Messi would first wear the number 10 jersey and the captain's armband at an international tournament in the 2010 World Cup, under Maradona as coach, the latter thoroughly impressed with the former's skills.
The 1977 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela was one of the few tournaments where Maradona did not appear with the number 10 on his back. Instead he wore the number 9.
This honour, reserved for Lionel Messi, comes after the national team's victory in the FIFA World Cup 2022. "When Messi retires from the national team, we will not allow anyone else to wear the number 10 after him. This number '10' will be retired for life in his honour.
Lionel Messi wore the no. 10 jersey in a competitive game for only the second time in his Paris Saint-Germain career on Wednesday night. Neymar wore PSG's no. 11.
When Pelé started playing at Santos, the “10” shirt was just one among many, with no special meaning. After his started shining for the club and for Brazil's national team, top players all over the world started picking that number as their own, including Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi.
Individually for Argentina, Lionel Messi is the all-time most-capped player with 187 matches and the highest goalscorer with 109 goals. As of September 2024, Argentina ranks 1st in the FIFA Men's World Ranking. Argentina is known for having rivalries with Brazil, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Uruguay and France.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina defeated Peru 2–1, drew with Paraguay 0–0 and suffered a catastrophic loss to Colombia 5–0 on 5 September 1993 in the Estadio Monumental. It became the largest defeat to a national team since a 1–6 result in the 1958 World Cup.
30, before switching to No. 19 after establishing himself as a regular in the side. He inherited the No. 10 shirt from former team-mate Ronaldinho, who left the club at the end of the 2007-08 season.
The hallowed shirt had been occupied by Ansu Fati since late 2021, with reports spreading that the Spain international would have handed it back to Messi if he embarked on a second stint in Catalonia.
Lionel Messi will forever be the Argentina National Team's No. 10 (if things go as planned) Lionel Messi may still be an active player of La Albiceleste, but when he decides to hang up his boots, ``This number 10 will be retired for life in his honor. It's the least we can do for him,'' added Claudio Tapia.
Argentina forward Paulo Dybala has explained why he took Lionel Messi's number ten jersey during their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The defending world champions cemented top spot in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers after thrashing Chile 3-0 on Friday evening.
Who will wear Angel Di María's number 11 kit? According to TyC Sports reporter Gastón Edul, Betis's Giovani Lo Celso will wear Angel Di María's famous number 11 kit. Di María retired from the Argentine national team after winning the 2024 Copa América last summer.
Paulo Dybala is back on international duty with Argentina. The Roma star was Lionel Scaloni's last minute addition to the team's squad list for the upcoming round of World Cup qualifiers.
10 shirt again for the Albiceleste. “When Messi retires from the national team, we will not allow anyone else to wear the number 10 after him,” Tapia said at a press conference over the weekend. “This number 10 will be retired for life in his honor.
Paulo Dybala embraced the honor of wearing Lionel Messi's iconic number 10 jersey during Argentina's World Cup Qualifier against Chile. Despite Messi's absence, Dybala expressed his determination to live up to the legendary number's values, contributing to Argentina's 2-0 victory.
