Cristian Romero Confirmed as Argentina’s New Captain After Lionel Messi Retirement

Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Cristian Romero will become Argentina's new captain once Lionel Messi brings his international career to an end following his upcoming farewell match.

Speaking ahead of Argentina's friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin, the World Cup winning head coach confirmed that the former Tottenham defender, now at Atletico Madrid, has been chosen to lead the team into its next chapter.

Scaloni explained the thinking behind the decision, laying out the leadership structure within the squad. "The captain is going to be Cuti. He was already the third captain after Leo and Ota (Nicolas Otamendi). 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," Scaloni said, as quoted by TyC Sports.

This isn't new territory for Romero, who has already captained Argentina on three occasions when the more senior players were unavailable. He first wore the armband during a 1-0 win over Chile in World Cup qualifying back in 2025, then again in a friendly against Venezuela later that year, and once more during a 2-1 win over Mauritania in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup.

The move toward this new era comes at a busy time for the squad, with Scaloni also having to deal with a couple of injury setbacks. Thiago Almada and Juan Foyth have both been ruled out of the upcoming triple header. A statement from the federation confirmed: "The players Juan Foyth and Thiago Almada remain sidelined due to injury for the triple-header of friendlies to be played in our country."

Scaloni hasn't yet said whether he'll bring in direct replacements for the pair, though Equi Fernandez, Santiago Simon and Valentin Gomez have reportedly been added to the squad to give the coaching staff extra options.

With Foyth and Almada missing, Scaloni's choices in defence and midfield are a little more limited, though Argentina's overall depth remains strong. These upcoming matches in Cordoba and Buenos Aires will double as both a farewell to Messi and an early look at how Argentina plan to operate in the post-Messi era under their new captain.