Messi’s No 10 successor: Serie A starlets Paz and Mastantuono among the contenders
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - OCTOBER 06: Nico Paz of Argentina celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Lionel Messi during the International Friendly match between Argentina and Benin at Estadio Monumental Antonio V. Liberti on October 06, 2026 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lionel Messi is making his final appearance for Argentina following his announcement of international retirement on 31 August. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
Argentina’s search for Lionel Messi’s successor in the No 10 shirt is under way, and two Serie A playmakers are among the early contenders.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Como’s Nico Paz is the favourite among fans back home. Fiorentina’s Franco Mastantuono, on loan from Real Madrid, is also in the running, and both have the left foot and creativity associated with Argentina’s great No 10s.
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, a world champion who already wears the number for his club, would be a more immediate option.
Why Argentina can’t retire Messi’s No 10
Retiring the shirt isn’t possible. FIFA requires national teams to number their tournament squads consecutively, from 1 to 26 at this summer’s World Cup, with no gaps. Argentina asked to retire the No 10 in Diego Maradona’s honour before the 2002 World Cup, but FIFA refused and Ariel Ortega wore it instead.
Gazzetta suggests a workaround: give the shirt to a bench player or a young prospect, so it is listed in the squad but rarely starts.
Messi, who first wore it in 2009, bowed out on Tuesday with 126 goals in 208 caps. Coach Lionel Scaloni is in no hurry to decide: “The idea is that a player can make this shirt his own.”
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