The Argentina No. 10 has had an undisputed owner for years, but imagining the national team without Lionel Messi raises an unavoidable question: who inherits one of the most iconic shirt numbers in Argentine football? Carlos Mac Allister has an idea about how to handle the dilemma, and it does not involve rushing a decision.
Speaking on ESPN, the former Argentina international said he would not hand the shirt to a single player straight away. “I wouldn’t give the number 10 to anyone,” Mac Allister said when discussing the future of the historic number once Messi is no longer part of the national team. His plan is not to retire the shirt or leave it permanently vacant, but to let several footballers wear it in rotation for a period. That way, the coaching staff would have a clearer picture of who is capable of carrying the weight of the number before committing to a definitive heir.
Among the candidates he named were Enzo Fernández, Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Alexis Mac Allister and Nico Paz. Each could wear the shirt for a set stretch, with the final call coming only after observing how that transition develops. Mac Allister put an approximate timeframe on the process, explaining that he would let eight or nine months pass before deciding who should keep the jersey that Messi turned into one of the great symbols of the Argentina national team.
He linked his position to what happened after the era of Diego Maradona, a transition he experienced at close quarters as a member of the national team. The result would be an unusual scenario: rather than an immediate successor, the No. 10 could pass from one player to another before finding its long-term owner. For now, the debate belongs to the future.
One of the other great responsibilities Messi will leave behind, however, already has a successor. Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Cristian “Cuti” Romero will take over the captaincy in the new era of the Argentina national team. “Cuti is going to be the captain,” the coach said, explaining that the defender was already third in the captaincy line behind Messi and Nicolás Otamendi. So while the leadership of the team has a defined heir, it remains to be decided who will wear one of its heaviest symbols — and Mac Allister’s proposal would see that shirt go through a transition period rather than pass directly to a new owner.