Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has reportedly narrowed down the list of potential candidates to take Lionel Messi's No. 10 shirt to Lautaro Martínez or Nico Paz, according to ESPN Argentina. The last player not called Lionel Messi to wear the No. 10 shirt at a major international tournament for Argentina was Juan Román Riquelme at the 2007 Copa América.
The candidates: Lautaro and Nico Paz
ESPN Argentina report that the task of taking on Messi's No. 10 shirt is set to be taken on by either Nico Paz or Lautaro Martínez. Lautaro Martínez is the captain of Inter Milan. Nico Paz wears the No. 10 shirt for his Serie A club Como and serves as the central hub for all of Como's forward raids. Nico Paz earned his first call up in 2024. After a bit-part role at this summer's World Cup, Nico Paz scored in all three of Argentina's first post-tournament fixtures, including one goal set up by Lionel Messi.
Scaloni's other option
Another prospect raised in the report is that Lionel Scaloni could decide not to give any player the No. 10 shirt for Argentina. That sort of jiggery-pokery with shirt numbers is prohibited in friendlies, and the rules are stricter for major international tournaments. FIFA insist that each nation must designate consecutive numbers for every player going to the tournament, without exception. At the 2026 World Cup, each roster had 26 players taking the digits between 1 and 26.
The history of the No. 10
For the 1978 World Cup roster, Argentina handed out shirt numbers alphabetically, with midfielder Ossie Ardiles taking the No. 1. At the 1978 World Cup, Argentina's star player Mario Kempes ended up with the No. 10 shirt under the alphabetical numbering system. When Diego Maradona made his World Cup tournament debut in 1982, he broke the alphabetical numbering rule and was given the No. 10 shirt.
Voices
Jorge Valdano, Argentina's former World Cup winner, said: "To become Messi, you need to win both the genetic lottery and the social lottery." Nico Paz said of Lionel Messi: "The first time I saw him, I fell in love with the way he played." Nico Paz said: "My father and I would always try to calculate whether there might be enough time for me to eventually play alongside him." Nico Paz said: "We saw it as nearly impossible, but in the end, fate—or God—made it possible for that dream to come true." Nico Paz said: "I'm so glad I got to experience it." Lionel Messi said: "We all thought we were a bit different as players." Lionel Messi said: "Even if we weren't, we all wanted to wear No. 10 from a young age." Lionel Messi said: "Obviously, it's always been a special shirt." Diego Maradona, the legendary midfielder, said: "No matter what happens and no matter who is in charge, the No. 10 shirt will always be mine."
