2008 was a special year for Argentina as that year saw the emergence of not just Lionel Messi growing in stature in the game but also the core of the Argentine national team in the next decade with Nicolas Otamendi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez & Angel Di Maria stepping up to continue the baton passed on by Juan Roman Riquelme, Juan Sebastian Veron & Roberto Ayala etc. The core first seen in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when La Albiceleste, led by Riquelme, won gold in the men's football event, beating Nigeria with Messi assisting Di Maria in the final. The shirt is the same design as the 'A' Men's team with a slight change in crest. The shirt was mainly worn for Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifiers with Messi mostly wearing number 18 instead of 15 worn for Olympic Games.
