The reason Argentina cannot retire Lionel Messi's jersey
Just before Messi's emotional retirement match against Benin, Argentina wanted to retire the legendary number • FIFA's strict regulations require consecutive numbers from 1 to 26 in official tournaments, exactly as happened with Maradona in…
Assessment
Argentina cannot retire Lionel Messi's number 10 jersey because FIFA's regulations require squads to use consecutive numbers from 1 to 26 in official tournaments. The same constraint applied to Diego Maradona in 2002, setting a precedent. With Messi's farewell match against Benin approaching, attention shifts to who inherits the shirt. Nico Paz and Mastantuono are already named as candidates, making the succession question as significant as the retirement itself.