Scaloni confirmed that the number 10 jersey of the Argentine National Team will remain vacant: "We are not going to give it to anyone"

The farewell of Lionel Messi from the Argentine National Team raised a question that still has no answer: who will be the next player to wear the number 10 jersey of the Albiceleste. After more than two decades identified with the captain and with the legacy that Diego Maradona also built, the iconic number is now vacant and, for now, there is no chosen candidate to take it.

During a press conference, Lionel Scaloni addressed this issue and ruled out that the team plans to assign the number to any player in the upcoming matches. "In this match, we are not going to give it to anyone. We have not thought about who to give it to until it is mandatory. When it becomes mandatory, we will see who we give it to, but it is not something that worries me or is especially important," said the world champion coach in Qatar 2022.

Thus, the jersey that Messi wore in his last appearance against Benin will remain without an owner in the upcoming FIFA date matches. In both the friendly against Uruguay, which will be held this Friday at La Bombonera, and the match on Tuesday, November 17 against Costa Rica at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba, no player will wear the historic number.

Although names like Lautaro Martínez, Enzo Fernández, Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Nico Paz have emerged among the possible candidates, Scaloni made it clear that he does not intend to make a provisional designation. On the contrary, his intention is for the next chosen one to hold that position for a long period. "The day we decide who to give it to, we hope it will be forever and not give the 10 to different players; that is a bit the idea. There are several matches to analyze, to see, and when we decide, we hope to give it to the player who can keep it," he added.