According to Imna news agency and quoted by Goal, finding a worthy replacement for the Barcelona legend will be a very difficult task, but Argentina has some promising options to inherit the number 10 shirt.
On Tuesday night, at the historic Monumental River Plate Stadium, Lionel Messi will wear the shirt of the Argentina national team for the 288th and last time. Adidas, Messi's sponsor, has designed a special shirt for the 39-year-old star's farewell ceremony, with his name and number printed on it in gold. A tribute to a player who proved his worth in the national arena many times over the course of nearly 21 years.
It is unlikely that there will be many dry eyes in Monumental. Messi is saying goodbye to the Argentine national team while he is the most proud player in the history of this team in terms of the number of national games with 208 games, and with 125 goals, he is also considered the best scorer in the history of Albiceleste. He is the same player who led Argentina to the third world championship and won two consecutive Copa America titles for his country.
Even in this summer's World Cup, Messi came close to winning his second world gold medal. He scored eight goals en route to Argentina's final, but ultimately lost to Spain. After the end of the tournament, Messi lost his father and finally decided to say goodbye to national football. Because he felt he had nothing more to offer.
The fact is that no one can fill Messi's void. From the point of view of many, he is the best player that football has ever seen and there may be no other player who can match him in terms of God-given talent. However, the number 10 shirt will have to go to someone else and Argentina will have to find a way to remain one of world football's great powers without their legendary captain.
The heavy weight of shirt number 10
Argentina fans have experienced this situation once again. After Diego Maradona's farewell in 1994, Albiceleste entered a period of tactical changes and major failures; In the 1998 World Cup, Argentina was eliminated in the quarter-final stage and four years later, it could not even advance from the group stage.
In three consecutive rounds of the Copa America, Argentina was eliminated in the quarter-final stage, and in the 2004 final, they lost to the second-placed team, Brazil, in penalty kicks. Players like Pablo Aymar, Ariel Ortega and Juan Roman Riquelme wore the legendary number 10 shirt at different times. All of them were great players, but the pressure of this shirt was too much for them in the end.
Maradona was more than a legend for Argentine fans; Charismatic, creative and inexhaustible footballer who played the main role in Argentina's 1986 World Cup championship. It seemed that no one could take his place one day; Until Messi played his first national game in 2005.
At the beginning, Riquelme still had the number 10 and won the Olympic gold medal together with Messi. He said goodbye to the national team in 2009 and handed over the shirt to the wizard of Barcelona.
Messi also needed time to convince a large part of Argentina's fans that he can continue Maradona's legacy. But in the end he did it; He went from a quiet playmaker to a fearsome and influential leader. Messi took number 10 and, contrary to all expectations, achieved popularity in his country that might even equal or exceed the popularity of Maradona.
But is it really possible for this to happen a third time?
It would not be surprising if Argentina once again enters a period of transition and failure. In the current composition of Lionel Scaloni, there is no player who can without any doubt deserve Messi's jersey from the beginning.
The safest choice; Kholian Alvarez
The easiest decision for Scaloni could be to hand over the number 10 to Julián Alvarez. The Atletico Madrid striker has played Messi's role for Argentina many times before. During the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, when Messi started only 10 matches, Alvarez repeatedly took over for him in the attack.
Alvarez had a good performance by registering seven direct contributions on goal and his best performance was in Argentina's 4-1 victory over Brazil. He scored the first goal in the fourth minute, played an important role in the forward press and constantly put pressure on the Brazilian defense with his diagonal movements.
In terms of experience at the highest level, there is no more reliable option than Alvarez. He was one of the important pieces of the Manchester City team in the historic triple season, and after moving to Atletico Madrid, he soon became the main piece of this team.
Alvarez has had 67 direct contributions to the goal in 110 games for Atlético and has entered the peak years of his career at the age of 26. For this reason, last summer he was interested in clubs like Barcelona and Arsenal.
However, there is a problem; Alvarez does not have Messi's playmaking characteristics. He didn't shine in the World Cup either, except for his wonderful goal against Switzerland in the quarter finals. The statistics of 16 goals in 61 national games also show that in order to become Messi's real successor, he must show more stability in big games and improve physically.
The most similar option; Niko Paz
Argentina has another very attractive talent; Nico Paz, who has become a big star in Italy and with Como's shirt. Paz did not have a very bright start in the Argentina national team and scored only three goals in 13 games. He did not get much opportunity to play in the World Cup. One of the reasons for this is the similarity of his playing style to Messi.
Paz is a smart, technical and creative number 10 who can change the course of a game in an instant. He is left-footed and in this respect he has similarities with Messi; Therefore, it is natural that his name is mentioned in the discussion of the succession of the Argentine legend.
The 22-year-old player in Como has also followed an interesting path and became the youngest Argentinian player after Messi to register multiple assists in a Champions League match. Paz had two assists in Como's 4-1 victory over Leipzig and was one of the best players on the pitch with a 95% passing accuracy, four successful dribbles and 10 ground duel wins.
Since signing Paz from Real Madrid in 2024, Cuomo has opened a special account on his abilities. He is one of the main factors in the rapid development of this team under Cesc Fabregas and has a very bright future ahead of him. Real Madrid is also reportedly planning to activate his buyout clause next summer.
Fabregas said about him in August: Nico Paz has everything. He has tremendous courage, vision and ambition.
Messi also praised Paz earlier and said that he has a very good mind and understands the game completely. It is precisely these qualities that have made Paz the next great hope of Argentina.
Of course, expectations must be controlled. Paz has a good vision to score, but he will probably never become a prolific goalscorer like Messi. He is more of a key piece in the system than a player around whom everything is built.
Maybe the same thing happens to the benefit of Argentina; Because Paz can add the necessary creativity to the team and help Albiceleste become a more balanced team, one that no longer depends on one person to change the result.
different option; Franco Mastantono
Argentina also has another talented left-footer: Franco Mastanano, a 19-year-old winger who is a product of the River Plate Academy. In his first season in European football, after the transfer of 45 million euros to Real Madrid, Mastantono went through difficult times and played only 23 games in La Liga.
He was largely a victim of Real's instability; The team that was under the supervision of Xabi Alonso and then Alvaro Arbeloa was not in a good condition. Real finally sent Mastanto to Fiorentina on loan in August and it was a fantastic start for him.
Fiorentina fans soon fell in love with this teenager. Mastantono scored a spectacular hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Venezia on 11 September. Two of his goals were scored with wonderful shots from outside the penalty area, and the third goal was the result of his clever placement in the space between the central defender and the opponent's left defender.
Just like Messi, Mastanuno likes to start from the right side, to cut inside and participate in the creation of the game. He can be very dangerous when he gets close to the goal.
His dribbles also have similarities to Messi's style due to his low center of gravity and great control of the ball in crowded spaces. He has previously worn Argentina's number 10, breaking Maradona's record and becoming the youngest Argentine player to wear this number in a World Cup qualifier.
The speed of Mastantuno may not reach the young Messi's feet, but his agility, quick combinations and high self-confidence can make up for this difference. Many players have crumbled under the pressure of being compared to Messi over the years, but Mastantono seems to welcome such pressure. In terms of potential, he is the most exciting option Scaloni can count on.
option far from mind; Thiago Almada
Thiago Almada can also be one of Escaloni's options for number 10. He was supposed to wear this number against Ecuador, but an injury prevented him from attending at the last minute. Recent injuries have kept 25-year-old Almada away from the current roster, but he has always been one of Scaloni's trusted players over the past years.
The Wales Academy product, Sarsfield, was a member of Qatar's World Cup-winning team and has shown the ability to play in attacking midfield, as a No. 8 or even on both flanks in 25 caps. Although Almada is 170 cm tall, he has good physical strength, has a high speed and is capable of breaking the defensive lines and quickly changing the direction of his movement. However, he still cannot be placed at the level of elite players.
Almada was a star in the MLS, but failed to replicate that brilliance in European football. His loan spell at Lyon was not very successful and then he was a complete failure at Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone's strict defensive system was not compatible with Almada's style and he could not find a permanent place in the starting line-up. Finally, Atlético sold him at a loss and River Plate signed him in the summer with an offer of 20 million euros; Of course, the redemption clause was also included in the contract.
This shows that Simeone still accepts Almada's talent. Maybe the return to Argentine football can show the best version of him again.
Besides, his presence in Argentina allows Scaloni to follow his games more closely. Almada has also started well at River, scoring twice in his first five games as a starter. He remains an unlikely option for the number 10, but has earned Scaloni's trust over the past four years.
End of an evening
It is very unlikely that Argentina will be able to find a real replacement for Messi. Intermiami's star can be compared to Neo in the movie “Matrix”; An exception that breaks the laws of physics and logic and is always a few steps ahead of its opponents.
For this reason, it does not make much sense to look at the change of number 10 as a “passing of the torch”. Argentina will need to evolve and several players will need to step up to fill the void left by Messi's impact.
If Alvarez plays up front, with Paz behind him and Mastantono on the right, it may not matter who wears the number 10. These players can complement each other and with Enzo Fernandez and Alexis McAllister, Argentina will still have a lot of strength in the attacking phase.
Cristian Romero is also likely to be Albiceleste's new captain, and Argentina will still have an experienced leader in defense. Lissandro Martinez can also join him again.
There are necessary foundations for continued success; In addition, Lautaro Martinez will also compete for the presence in the attack line.
But Messi's farewell is not the only change facing Argentina. Nicolas Otamendi also said goodbye to national football after the World Cup, and probably Amy Martinez, Leandro Paredes and Nicolas Tagliafico will follow the same path soon. Rodrigo DePaul and Giovanni Lo Celso have also crossed the 30-year mark.
It seems that everything is ready for the beginning of a new period; A period in which there will be no more Messi to save Argentina. Scaloni also has an uncertain situation and his contract expires in December. He has given the green light to extend the contract, but his future is still unclear.
An era has ended and a new era is coming. This time, in the absence of Messi, all the members of the Albion are supposed to inspire each other.
