Leo Messi to change his number 30 tonight against Marseille because of French Rules

 

Lionel Messi's jersey number at PSG is No. 30, however, he wore the No. 10 jersey which is usually donned by Neymar, in the Coupe de France game vs Nice.

Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shock exit at the hands of OGC Nice in the Coupe de France on Monday following a penalty shootout. The 5-6 defeat on penalties suffered by PSG was in the round-of-16 stage, which can be called embarrassing considering the squad they have assembled this season. Besides the shocking loss, the match also witnessed Lionel Messi sporting the No. 10 jersey, which he was last seen wearing in Barcelona colours.

PSG hand Lionel Messi No. 10 jersey

Lionel Messi's jersey number at PSG is No. 30, however, he wore the No. 10 jersey which is usually donned by Neymar, in the Coupe de France game vs Nice. Lionel Messi got the No. 10 jersey due to the French Cup tradition. The numbers 2 to 4 is given to defenders, while 6 to 8 is handed to central midfielders. Numbers 7 and 11 belong to wingers while 10 is worn by the attacking midfielder. No. 9 is designated for the striker. The French Cup follows the tradition where players in the starting XI will have to wear jersey numbers between 1 to 11 and that is why Lionel Messi was handed the No. 10 jersey.

Defending champions PSG were aiming at a record 15th trophy but came up short due to a good display of football by OGC Nice. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino's decision not to start top-scorer Kylian Mbappe backfired as OGC Nice defended brilliantly. Kylian Mbappe was finally brought on from the bench at the hour mark.

But by the time Mbappe entered the pitch, a Nice defence led by Brazilian veteran Dante and former Barcelona central defender Jean-Clair Todibo looked settled. Lionel Messi did not have a great match as he struggled to make an impact. Left-winger Justin Kluivert saw his shot saved by Nice goalkeeper soon after the break while PSG midfielder Marco Verratti curled a shot over from a decent position midway through the second period.

Messi scored PSG's first penalty, while Mbappe, Verratti, Draxler and Bernat all converted their spot-kick. Leandro Paredes missed the third penalty, while Xavi Simons missed the 6th penalty of the game, allowing Nice advance to the quarter-finals.

Messi may also wear the number at today's match against Marseille tonight