By: Nana Kwame Bediako
The Argentina FA boss on Saturday, 30th December, 2023 disclosed to the football world his intention of retiring the iconic number 10 jersey currently worn by the legendary Lionel Messi.
The retirement of the iconic number 10 jersey has gone down lightly with some football fans, considering the impact of some great players, like Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, who have both brought glory to Argentina. These great players won numerous trophies, with Argentina wearing the number 10 jersey.
“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 honor. It’s the least we can do for him,” said Claudio Fabián Tapia.
Lionel Messi has been the topic for many after winning Argentina their third World Cup in Qatar after Maradona led them to victory in 1986.
This is not the first time the Argentina Football Association has considered retiring the number 10 jersey. The Argentina Football Association previously attempted to retire the number 10 as a tribute to Maradona, but FIFA declined their request.
With this situation, it looks unclear for Argentina to retire Messi’s jersey when he goes on retirement, as the current FIFA rules don’t permit that initiative. The rules require all players to wear jersey numbers from 1 to 23 in a competitive competition.