On one occasion, a goalkeeper even preferred to wear the famous number! Now, however, it seems that super-talent Nico Paz is making a strong case for the iconic shirt with his performances. He is currently shining for Italian club Como.
You may have noticed it too. Manchester United travelled to the Italian town for a Champions League match and were thrashed. The Red Devils eventually reduced the 4-0 deficit with a late goal. Even so, it was clear how well the surprise package of Italian football was playing, as well as how much potential Argentine midfielder Nico Paz possesses. He dictated play from the right side of midfield and scored twice.
It was no fluke. His performances have clearly improved over the past few seasons, and Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has been calling Paz up to the squad for some time now. The youngster has repaid that faith with his productivity, scoring five goals in 17 appearances. He played only 71 minutes at the World Cup, however.
In the Albiceleste's most recent match, he found the target once again. His goal also had a special story behind it: he was the last Argentine player to receive a goal assist from Lionel Messi. Only time will tell just how symbolic that moment from the match against Benin was...
Messi's era is over, and Argentina will have to find a new No. 10, whether it likes it or not. To be clear, it is a thankless role. Footballing geniuses such as Mario Kempes, Diego Maradona and Messi have left their successors with an incredibly difficult task after their hugely successful eras. All three won World Cup titles.
If Argentina's fans had their way, they would probably want someone to wear the sacred No. 10 shirt made famous by Maradona and Messi again one day. In the NHL or NBA, the jersey would already have been retired and hung from the rafters. The reality, however, is that FIFA does not allow numbers to be retired. At official tournaments, all numbers from 1 to 26 must be used, as was the case at the last World Cup.
A goalkeeper wore 10
Yet Marcelo Gallardo, one of the first players to wear the No. 10 shirt after Maradona, spoke of a curse. He took it to the 1995 Copa America when he was just 19, but ended up playing only two matches and also missed a penalty.
"Diego called me straight after the match to encourage me. He told me to keep my head held high because he had great faith in me. He had absolutely no reason to do it, but he did. I will always be immensely grateful to him for that gesture," Gallardo recalled. At the next tournament, however, he opted for the No. 9 shirt and became the team's top scorer.
Argentina then handed the No. 10 shirt to goalkeeper Nacho Gonzalez. At the time, the national team preferred to assign numbers alphabetically. That meant, for example, that Ubaldo Fillol wore No. 7 in goal, while midfielder Ardiles played outfield in the No. 1 shirt.
Other players to wear the No. 10 included Ariel Ortega, who wore it at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He was followed by Andres D'Alessandro at the 2004 Copa America and Juan Roman Riquelme at the 2006 World Cup and 2007 Copa America. Then the 'rightful' No. 10 shirt was once again worn by Messi.
Who is Nico Paz?
If you look at Nico Paz, you would certainly say that, although he is also left-footed, he cannot be the next Maradona or Messi. He simply has a completely different build - he is 23 centimetres taller than one superstar and 18 centimetres taller than the other.
His playing style is different too, even though he also operates on the right side of the pitch and covers an area very similar to Messi's.
Paz may make football more difficult for himself. He very often receives the ball with his back to the opposition goal and has to beat a defender at the very start of an attack.
Messi and Maradona generally began their moves already facing towards goal. Even so, Paz is relatively productive.
He enjoys the trust of coach Cesc Fabregas and, in his first Serie A season with Italian club Como, he recorded six goals and eight assists in 35 appearances. The following year, he made an even bigger impact, scoring 13 goals and adding seven assists in 40 matches.
The Serie A newcomers stunned several of Italy's biggest clubs, partly thanks to his influence, and secured Champions League qualification soon after earning promotion to the top flight. The demolition of Manchester United, mentioned above, is further evidence that Paz has even greater ambitions.
Real Madrid turned down
Paz has football in his genes. His father is former Argentina international Pablo Paz, who represented Argentina at the 1998 World Cup. Nico was born in Tenerife, Spain, where his father spent six years as a player before later coaching youth teams.
He stood out so much in the academy of the Canary Islands club that he moved to Real Madrid's youth setup, with whom he still has a somewhat complicated relationship.
In the 2023/24 season, he finally made his debut for Los Blancos' first team, but further opportunities were scarce, and he was sold to Como. His career blossomed on the shores of the famous lake, and another announcement soon followed.
"After many weeks of thought, I have come to the conclusion that, at this moment, staying at Como for another year is the best thing for my career. It is a club that gave me the opportunity to grow and become the player I am today," the footballer wrote on social media this June.
It was a response to Real Madrid's interest in bringing him back. The Madrid club still has a preferential buy-back option on the player. Who knows whether Argentina will one day be powered by the performances of a player from Los Blancos? Historically, the preference has been for players who came through fierce rivals Barcelona.
And perhaps there is one more message to take from it all. One of the latest photos to go viral on social media shows that Nico Paz has Messi's full trust. It features a young Ciro Messi posing in a Como shirt.
"It is an honour for us that the greatest player in football history knows our shirt. We must be doing something right. Seeing Messi's son in our shirt is a joy and an honour," Paz said.
