Sports
Cristian Romero replaces Messi as Argentina’s new Captain
Scaloni confirmed Romero’s new leadership role while speaking about Argentina’s captaincy hierarchy ahead of the team’s upcoming international fixtures.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has named Cristian Romero as the new captain of the national team following Lionel Messi’s retirement from international football.
According to Goal, Scaloni has handed the captain’s armband to the Atletico Madrid defender as Argentina begin a new chapter after the end of Messi’s international career.
Scaloni confirmed Romero’s new leadership role while speaking about Argentina’s captaincy hierarchy ahead of the team’s upcoming international fixtures.
“The captain is going to be Cuti. He was already the third captain after Leo and Ota (Nicolas Otamendi),” Scaloni said, according to TyC Sports, as reported by Goal.
“There is Emiliano (Martinez), who can also wear the armband. Rodrigo (De Paul), who will not be in these two games, can also wear it. Lautaro (Martinez) can wear it. Cuti is the right one.”
The decision is not entirely new for Romero, who had already been part of Argentina’s leadership group before Messi and Otamendi left the national team after the 2026 World Cup.
The 28-year-old has also captained Argentina on three previous occasions under Scaloni. He first wore the armband in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Chile, before leading the team again against Venezuela in a friendly and most recently in a 2-1 win over Mauritania.
Romero’s appointment comes as Argentina begin the transition into the post-Messi era, with the long-serving captain set to make his final appearance for the national team against Benin on October 6. Goal reported that Messi will be honoured during the farewell match at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Meanwhile, Argentina have suffered injury setbacks ahead of their upcoming fixtures, with Thiago Almada and Juan Foyth ruled out of the squad.
The changes come as Scaloni begins to reshape the team around a new generation of leaders following the departures of Messi and veteran defender Otamendi.
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