Farewell to a legend: who will wear Messi’s number 10 for Argentina?

Lionel Messi retired from the Argentina national team. It is written in the past tense because we will never again see him wearing the Albiceleste jersey in an official match. But Messi always surprises us. Somehow, people always end up speaking about him in the present tense.

From now on, the debate is whether he is already the greatest of all time. Whether another player will ever be capable of achieving what he did. In today’s football, where physicality dominates, Messi had become increasingly effective.

It is also inevitable to discuss who will inherit his number 10 Argentina jersey. Is there a player capable of matching him? Because Messi was not only about success. He was also resilience, sacrifice, and the fight against adversity. He lost two Copa América finals and the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil and said: “I tried. It was what I wanted most. It didn’t happen for me. I think that’s it.” He quit. And he came back. Because he had to try again. That is where his greatest merit lies. He showed us that you have to fight. Talent is often not enough. You have to dry your tears, get back up, try again, and persist.

Stumble, get back up, and try again

He returned to help secure qualification for the 2018 World Cup. And in the decisive match, against Ecuador, he scored three goals at Estadio Atahualpa. Three goals that sent Argentina to the World Cup, a tournament from which the team made an early exit under coach Jorge Sampaoli.

But the star persisted. His own words sum up the reasons for that persistence. “I want to finish my career having won something with the national team. And if not, at least having tried as many times as possible. Stumble, get back up, and try again. You have to fight for your dreams. That is life.”

He arrived at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at age 35, when many believed he was already in the twilight of his career. He came into the tournament lifted by two titles that reflected that struggle: the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 Finalissima. They gave him a new burst of youth. He arrived in Qatar and produced his crowning achievement: the long-awaited World Cup. He faced Mbappe in the most closely fought World Cup final in history: 3-3 after regulation and extra time, followed by a hard-fought 4-2 penalty shootout victory for Argentina.

In the stands were his wife, Antonella Rocuzzo, his three children, his mother, and his recently deceased father, Jorge. Messi was also an image of family. In a changing society, he showed that the emotional support provided by a family can be a powerful force in facing the pressure of elite competition.

With that success, he finally won the heart of the Argentine fan, as passionate as any. Those fans criticized him after the lost finals, but later elevated him to godlike status after the triumph in Qatar. Because in Argentina, football is a religion. And that is how it is lived. There is no other way.

Messi, the final dance

By then, it seemed there was nothing left to prove. But there was one final dance. ‘Lio’ went to the 2026 World Cup at age 39 and came close to pulling off another feat. He faced players overflowing with youth. Several of them were only starting school when Messi was taking his first steps in professional football with Barcelona in Spain.

He reached the final against a Spanish team that was far superior. The match was decided by a single goal, 1-0 in Spain’s favor. Later, in his farewell letter, Messi confessed that he had tried until the end, “but his legs could no longer keep up.”

He had written that letter just two days after losing the final to Spain, on July 19. He kept it private and only recently decided to publish it. The decision was accelerated by the death of his father.

Without his father, he no longer had his number one supporter, the person he had always played for.

The successor to the number 10

Messi’s farewell to the Albiceleste prompted a unanimous reaction across the football world. Many of those who responded were his teammates, some of whom could inherit the number 10: Nico Paz, Lautaro Martínez, Alexis Maccalister, Enzo Fernández, Franco Mastantuono, Julián Álvarez, Thiago Almada... Will one of them be chosen?

Nico Paz appears to be the leading candidate, according to the Argentine press. Paz, only 21, already wears number 10 for Como in Italian football. He would have the task of wearing the number ‘Lio’ carried for 17 consecutive years with his national team, for which he played 177 matches and became the all-time leading scorer with 125 goals.

What is certain is that Nico Paz, or whoever is chosen to replace Messi, will be a player with different characteristics, forcing a restructuring of the Argentina national team.

Nicolás Otamendi also said goodbye, while the continuity of others such as Leandro Paredes and ‘Dibu’ Martínez remains uncertain.

Coach Lionel Scaloni’s future has not been defined either. He was the man who knew how to build a team around Messi, enhancing his strengths while strengthening the collective game. If Scaloni continues, he would choose Paz to wear the ‘10’. It will be a new era without Messi on the pitch, but with him seated at a special table occupied by only a few in football: Pele, Maradona, Johan Cruyff...