The AFA could hold a ceremony to honor Messi, retire the jersey he used for many years, and display it in a privileged location, such as the Monumental stadium, the Coloso Marcelo Bielsa in Rosario, or an AFA office. However, the AFA cannot decide to officially retire the number 10 from FIFA competitions, as the governing body has a regulation that requires teams to assign numbers from 1 to 26 to their players.
This regulation was confirmed by FIFA in 2026, when teams were required to assign numbers to their players for the World Cup. The AFA had previously requested an exception to this rule in 2002, but FIFA denied their request. As a result, the number 10 jersey was not officially retired, and Ariel Ortega went on to wear it.