Messi Asked to Give Up Barcelona No. 10 Shirt

Diego Maradona’s son has said he wants to see the No. 10 shirt at the clubs his father played for retired. The Argentine legend played for a host of top teams throughout his career including Barcelona, Boca Juniors, and Napoli.

The soccer world was shocked on November 25 after it was announced that Maradona had died at his home in Buenos Aires at the age of 60. Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas subsequently called on all clubs to retire the No. 10 shirt as a tribute, as reported by the Mirror.

Diego Maradona Junior has now told Marca that he thinks the jersey should be retired but not from all clubs. He explained, “In the teams that he played for, I believe so, including Barcelona. Without a doubt.”

Of course, Messi wears the No. 10 shirt at Barcelona and has done since the end of the 2007-08 season when he took over the iconic number after Ronaldinho left the Camp Nou.

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Maradona Jr Moved By Messi Tribute

Messi paid tribute to Maradona during Sunday’s win over Osasuna at the Camp Nou. The 33-year-old scored his side’s fourth goal in a comfortable victory and celebrated by removing his Barca jersey to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys shirt underneath.

Maradona Jr admitted he had been moved by Messi’s tribute to his late father who played for Newell’s Old Boys, the Barcelona captain’s boyhood club, towards the end of his career.

It was very touching, There have been emotional days. What Leo did was special, very beautiful. It really touched me. and made me cry, just as Napoli’s, Gimnasia’s, and Boca’s. I feel very proud of the legacy my father left.

Messi’s tribute was one of many made across the soccer world. Serie A side Napoli wore a special kit for their match against Roma and are also set to rename their stadium in Maradona’s honor, as reported by Sky Sports.

There was also plenty of emotion on show at Boca Juniors when they took on Newell’s Old Boys, two of Maradona’s former clubs, in the Argentine Primera Division.

Maradona was also remembered by clubs across the world with a minute’s silence.

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Messi Fined for Maradona Tribute

Messi’s tribute to Maradona saw the captain booked for removing his shirt and both the player and club fined. The captain was been hit with a €600 penalty, while Barca must pay €3,350, according to Sport.

Referee Mateu Lahoz went into detail when it came to including the incident in his match report, as reported by Marca.

In the 73rd minute, the player Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini was booked for the following reason: taking off his shirt after scoring a goal, revealing a new shirt of Newell’s Old Boys from the 1993/94 season, with the No.10 on the back.

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was not too impressed with the decision to book Messi during the match. He told a news conference on Tuesday that he felt the decision to hand his captain a yellow card should be overturned, as reported by Goal.

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