Barcelona’s history is filled with iconic No. 10s, but few have worn the shirt with the influence Lionel Messi had during his extraordinary spell at Camp Nou.
The Argentine spent more than two decades connected to Barcelona, developing from a teenage academy prospect into the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
His departure from the Catalan giants in 2021 brought an emotional end to one of the most decorated eras in the club’s history.
Lionel Messi has since continued to add to his remarkable legacy with Argentina, finally lifting the World Cup in 2022 after years of heartbreak on the international stage.
Now, however, the final chapter of his Argentina career is approaching, with the legendary former Barcelona star preparing for an emotional farewell.
Lionel Messi unveils special jersey for farewell Argentina game
Lionel Messi has unveiled the special No. 10 shirt he will wear for his final appearance with Argentina, giving fans their first look at the commemorative jersey that will mark the end of his international career.
The 39-year-old revealed the shirt in a video posted to Instagram, taking down his famous World Cup shirt from a wall display before replacing it with the new commemorative No. 10.
“One last game… A shirt for life,” Messi captioned the video, perfectly summing up the significance of what will be his final appearance for the national team.
Messi is scheduled to wear the shirt for the first and only time on 6 October, when Argentina face Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The Barcelona legend will not feature in Argentina’s other two friendlies during the international window, with Lionel Scaloni’s side facing Bolivia in Cordoba on 30 September before taking on Burkina Faso at the Monumental on 3 October.
The AFA have also invited the entire 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families to the Monumental, meaning Messi’s farewell will also reunite him with the teammates who finally helped him achieve the biggest prize of his career.
Messi announced his international retirement on 31 August, bringing an end to a phenomenal Argentina career in which he became the nation’s record scorer with 125 goals in 207 appearances.
Alongside those numbers, he leaves behind a World Cup triumph and two Copa America titles, finally turning years of near misses into one of the greatest international careers football has ever seen.
For Barcelona supporters, the occasion will carry an extra layer of emotion given what Messi became at the club, where he turned the No. 10 shirt into one of the most recognisable symbols in football.
Now there is only one game left, one final Argentina appearance and one final No. 10 shirt for the player who became Barcelona’s greatest-ever icon.
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