Lionel Messi was unexpectedly ruled out for Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, which will be played during the March international break. The Inter Miami forward is suffering from a muscular discomfort that prevented him from traveling to his country and playing in these crucial matches. With this scenario, the team will have to look for solutions to replace him.
According to journalist Gaston Edul, it has been confirmed who will wear the No. 10 jersey, typically worn by Lionel Messi. The chosen one is Angel Correa, forward of Atletico Madrid and world champion with Argentina in Qatar 2022.
Correa already wore that jersey in the South American qualifier against Bolivia in September 2023, when Messi was left out of the team due to physical problems, in a similar context to the current one. On that day, Angel came on after 42 minutes of the second half, when Argentina were already 3-0 up.
Despite the significance of wearing the legendary No. 10 jersey—once belonging to, legends such as Diego Armando Maradona, Mario Kempes, Ariel Ortega, and Juan Roman Riquelme—this does not guarantee that Angel Correa will be on the starting lineup for the upcoming games. However, the large number of absentees Argentina is facing gives the Atletico Madrid forward an opportunity.
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Argentina’s injured players
Lionel Messi is undoubtedly Argentina’s most important absence for the March international break. However, other stars have also been left out for similar reasons, causing a headache for coach Lionel Scaloni as he plans his strategy for these matches.
Giovani Lo Celso and Paulo Dybala are other creative players who have been ruled out due to physical problems, further limiting Scaloni’s options to replace Messi. The latest bad news for Argentina is that another star player, Lautaro Martinez, will miss the matches against Uruguay and Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers.
Who has worn Argentina’s No. 10 jersey in the Messi era?
Lionel Messi first wore Argentina’s No. 10 jersey on March 28, 2009, in a match against Venezuela in Buenos Aires. Since then, he has been the undisputed owner of that jersey, though occasionally other players have had the privilege of wearing it as well.
Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero played the most matches with the No. 10 jersey in Messi’s absence, with a total of seven appearances. Angel Correa follows with three games wearing the iconic number. Other stars who have worn the No. 10 jersey in recent years include Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria, Erik Lamela, Ever Banega, and Javier Pastore.
What’s next for Argentina?
On Argentina’s schedule for 2025 are two very demanding challenges during the March international break. On Friday night, they will visit Uruguay in Montevideo for Matchday 13 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Four days later, they will face Brazil in Buenos Aires.
