Will FC Barcelona retire Lionel Messi’s No10 shirt? The key problem facing the Camp Nou giants

Tom Doyle8 August 2021

Barcelona have opted against giving another player Lionel Messi's No10 shirt for Sunday's pre-season friendly against Juventus - but it remains to be seen whether the number will be retired altogether.

Messi has confirmed Paris Saint-Germain could be his next destination after bidding a tearful goodbye to Barcelona on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Argentina international received a standing ovation from family and friends, current and former team-mates and journalists during a farewell press conference at Camp Nou, three days after the club announced his impending departure.

An emotional Messi, who has since been heavily linked with both the Ligue 1 giants PSG and Manchester City, gave a brief address before answering questions over the aborted contract negotiations which led to his exit after 21 years. Barca blamed LaLiga's financial fair play rules for their inability to strike a deal.

Getty Images

And so the most famous No10 jersey currently worn in football will be vacant for next season - and for Barca’s pre-season friendly against Juve on Sunday night, at least.

No player was given Messi’s hallowed number for the match, though the club have not confirmed if they plan on leaving it vacant for the upcoming LaLiga season or assigning it to a squad member.

Barca could potentially look to retire the No10 in honour of Messi, but one key problem is that LaLiga rules only allow 25 senior players to be registered in the squad with numbers 1-25.

Should Barca decide to retire the number, they would have to reduce their senior squad size by one.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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