Lionel Scaloni identifies Nico Paz as heir to Messi’s No. 10 jersey

Replacing Lionel Messi is the kind of job description that makes “impossible” feel like an understatement. But someone has to wear the shirt, and Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has apparently made his pick: Nico Paz, the 21-year-old midfielder who debuted for the senior team by, fittingly, setting up a Messi goal. Scaloni has identified Paz as the future wearer of Argentina’s No. 10 jersey, a shirt that has belonged to Messi since the 2008-09 season and, before him, to a certain Diego Maradona. From Tenerife to the Albiceleste Nicolás Paz was born on September 8, 2004, in Tenerife, Spain. He could have chosen to represent Spain at international level, but instead followed the path of his father, Pablo Paz, who represented Argentina at the 1998 World Cup. Paz came through Real Madrid’s academy before moving to Serie A club Como, where his creativity, dribbling, and shooting ability during the 2025-26 season turned heads across European football. His senior international debut came in October 2024, and the moment could not have been scripted better. Paz provided an assist to Messi, a symbolic passing of the creative torch that now looks like it was foreshadowing something bigger...