Photo by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

The No. 10 that cannot be retired: why Messi's shirt will outlive his farewell

When Lionel Messi's Argentina career ended, an obvious question followed: what happens to the shirt? The answer is simple and a little poignant. Argentina cannot retire it.

The rule that stops the tribute

The reason is a FIFA regulation. Squad lists for tournaments such as the World Cup and the Copa América must use consecutive numbers from 1 to 26.

That means No. 10 cannot be left vacant in official competition, however much the Argentine Football Association might wish to honour Messi that way.

Argentina could leave the number unused in certain friendlies, but at the big tournaments, the famous shirt has to return.

It has happened before

This is not a new problem for Argentina. In 2001 the AFA moved to retire Diego Maradona's No. 10 ahead of the 2002 World Cup, and FIFA blocked the plan. There is a quiet irony in that decision. Had Argentina been allowed to keep Maradona's number out of use, Messi might never have inherited it.

What the Monumental did instead

On October 6, at his farewell against Benin, Argentina found another way to say what the rule would not let them say. A giant No.

10 shirt reading "Gracias" was unfurled before kickoff. In the 10th minute there was a tribute.

Messi himself wore a special commemorative jersey, and Argentina won 3-0. None of it needed a regulation.

A number that belongs to everyone

There is something fitting in the fact that the number cannot be locked away. A retired shirt can become a monument, while a worn one stays in play.

The player who takes No. 10 next will wear a shirt with a very large history attached, and in an official tournament the number will be there for someone to wear.

Argentina cannot retire Messi's shirt. After this farewell, that may be exactly what keeps it remembered.

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