Scaloni left the No. 10 shirt empty, and Argentina lost their first game without Messi 2-1 to Uruguay
A Leonardo Balerdi own goal and a Maxi Araújo header put Uruguay two up early in the second half at La Bombonera, and Julián Álvarez’s goal was all Argentina could manage in reply.
Nov 14, 2026
Nobody wore the No. 10 for Argentina at La Bombonera on Friday night. Lionel Scaloni has not picked a successor to Lionel Messi, and because he does not have to give the number to anyone, he left it empty. Then his side lost 2-1 to Uruguay in their first match since Messi retired from international football.
The friendly was played in Buenos Aires on 13 November and finished overnight in India.
Three goals after the break
The first half was goalless. Three minutes after the restart, the ball went in off Leonardo Balerdi for an own goal. Five minutes after that it was 2-0, Maxi Araújo heading in from Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s assist.
Argentina got one back in the 73rd minute. Julián Álvarez had a second go at it after his first effort was stopped, and Gianluca Prestianni was credited with the assist. They did not find an equaliser.
“We have to rebuild”
Scaloni has agreed a contract extension that keeps him in charge until 2030, and he did not pretend this was a normal friendly. “We have to rebuild without Leo Messi, and we have the talent to bounce back from this loss,” he said. He liked parts of the second half and said the game “gives me things to analyse”.
Álvarez called it “a new era, with a lot of young guys”. He is not wrong. Nicolás Otamendi has finished with the national team, Leandro Paredes is suspended after incidents following the World Cup final, Lautaro Martínez is injured and Rodrigo De Paul was left out. The core that won the 2022 World Cup is thinning quickly.
208 caps and 126 goals
Messi finished with 208 caps and 126 goals for Argentina. His last competitive game was the World Cup final in New Jersey in July, which Spain won 1-0 in extra time. He said goodbye to the home fans on 6 October, scoring a penalty and setting up the other two goals in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin at the Monumental. He is 39.
Replacing him was never going to be a one-game job, and Scaloni’s own word for what comes next was rebuild. Leaving the shirt empty for now looks like a sensible way to stop it becoming a burden for whichever young player gets it next.
A first win in Buenos Aires for Forlán
This was Diego Forlán’s fourth game as Uruguay’s interim coach since Marcelo Bielsa left after their group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup. Indian fans saw his side up close last month, when Uruguay beat India 6-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on 6 October. Federico Valverde, who missed that trip with an ankle injury, was back in the squad for this one.
Both sides play again on Tuesday, 17 November. Argentina face Costa Rica in Córdoba, and Uruguay go home to play the Dominican Republic.