Messi’s Last Argentina Shirt: Every Number He Wore

When did Messi announce his Argentina retirement?

Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on 31 August 2026, ending a 21-year international career that began with his senior debut in 2005. “After the time that passed since the final, thinking about it a lot, I want to communicate to everyone that I am retiring from the national team,” Messi said. “It was a decision that hurt and hurts in the soul.” He retires as Argentina’s captain, all-time leading goalscorer and the highest-scoring man in South American football history, and will continue playing club football for Inter Miami.

What shirt numbers did Messi wear for Argentina?

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Messi wore four different numbers across his Argentina career, and the story of each one tracks almost exactly with his rise from teenage prospect to the country’s all-time record holder. He never wore a single number for his whole international career the way he did the No. 10 at club level — that took years, and a retirement, to arrive.

Why did Messi wear No. 18 and No. 19 before No. 10?

Messi’s first senior international minutes came as a substitute in August 2005, but it was the 2005 U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands where he first made his number matter: wearing No. 18, he won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot as Argentina were crowned champions. Once he broke into the senior squad full-time, No. 10 belonged to Juan Román Riquelme, Argentina’s playmaker and captain, so Messi wore No. 19 through the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2007 Copa América final defeat to Brazil.

When did Messi finally get the No. 10 shirt?

Not straight away. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Argentina won gold beating Nigeria 1-0 in the final, Messi wore No. 15 rather than 10 or 19 — Olympic squads are numbered separately from the full national team. The senior No. 10 only became his on 28 March 2009, in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela and Diego Maradona’s first game in charge as coach, after Riquelme’s international retirement. From that day on, it was Messi’s number whenever he was on the Argentina team sheet.

What did Messi achieve wearing Argentina’s No. 10?

Everything that defines his international legacy came while wearing 10: the 2021 Copa América title that ended Argentina’s 28-year trophy drought, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and a run to the 2026 World Cup final in which he scored eight goals — more than every player bar the tournament’s top scorer — before Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time. He leaves the national team as its most-capped player, all-time top scorer and longest-serving captain.

Where can I buy a Messi Argentina retro shirt?

433FC’s Argentina collection covers current and past-era shirts, including retro jerseys spanning multiple World Cup cycles in the site’s dedicated retro range. Browse both if you want a shirt from a specific number era rather than the current squad list.