Why Lionel Messi Wore No. 10 Shirt In PSG's Defeat To Nice In Coup De France

Lionel Messi wore the No. 10 shirt for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their Coup de France loss against OGC Nice on Monday.

Messi, who joined PSG from FC Barcelona in the 2021 summer, has been given No. 30 by the Ligue 1 side. The iconic No. 10 at PSG belongs to Neymar, who was Messi's teammate at Barcelona.

Messi left the fans surprised by wearing the No. 10 shirt Monday.

It is a tradition in Coup de France that when teams are playing up until the quarter-finals, all starting players must wear jersey numbers from 1 to 11. With Neymar missing from the starting line-up Monday, PSG honored the tradition by giving Messi the chance to wear his beloved number 10 jersey for the match, according to Marca.com.

Messi, who was Barcelona's No. 10 for the longest time, had many memorable moments with the club and his national team Argentina. Unfortunately, he didn't bring the same luck for the Parc des Princes side. PSG were eliminated from the French Cup after losing their Round of 16 fixture to Nice on penalties.

Neymar has been out of action since November end after suffering an ankle injury in PSG's 3-1 win over AS Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1. PSG certainly missed him in the front and Kylian Mbappe's introduction from the bench was not enough for the hosts to secure a win against Nice.

Lionel Messi yet to touch his best at PSG

Messi has not touched his best since his arrival in Paris last year. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has managed to score only one goal in 12 Ligue 1 appearances but he has had a fine run in the Champions League for PSG. Messi has netted five goals in as many matches. PSG will face Real Madrid in the Round of 16, which is scheduled to take place later this month.

It has also been reported that PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino will leave the club in the 2022 summer. Following the team's elimination from Coup de France, PSG's management informed Pochettino that he would have to leave after the 2021-22 season and the club has already begun looking for the Argentinean's replacement.