Messi’s baton is passed on – Cuti Romero is Argentina’s new captain

Argentina are preparing for life after Lionel Messi, and head coach Lionel Scaloni has now revealed who will take over the captaincy once the legendary forward ends his international career. Cristian Romero has been selected as the next player to lead the world champions, signalling the start of a new era for the national team.With Messi's farewell on the horizon, Scaloni has already begun laying the foundations for the next generation of leaders. Ahead of Argentina's upcoming friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin, the coach confirmed that the former Tottenham Hotspur defender will inherit the armband and become the team's primary captain moving forward.🚨𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Cristian “Cuti” Romero is the new captain of the Argentina national team. 🇦🇷🫡©️ pic.twitter.com/qeenxSxEEa— FÚTBOL HUB (@FutbolHub_) September 25, 2026 ript>The decision comes as no surprise given Romero's position within the squad's leadership group. Scaloni made it clear that the 28-year-old centre-back has already established himself as one of the senior figures in the dressing room and was the obvious candidate to succeed Messi."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," the manager explained as cited by TyC Sports.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Romero has already had the opportunity to experience the responsibility of captaining Argentina, having worn the armband three times when the team's usual leaders were unavailable. His first appearance as captain came in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Chile in 2025.The defender was subsequently handed the armband again in a friendly against Venezuela in October that year before leading Argentina to a 2-1 victory over Mauritania in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup.Now, with Messi's international chapter approaching its conclusion, Romero is set to move to the front of Argentina's leadership hierarchy and take on one of the biggest responsibilities in world football.##NAJAVA_MECA_9984752##