The player who will become the new captain following Lionel Messi’s departure was announced yesterday.
Lionel Scaloni, speaking to reporters ahead of the team’s upcoming matches—with the final one against Benin serving as “Leo’s” farewell—revealed his decision.
“The captain will be Cuti (Romero),” he said initially, and continued: “He was already the third captain after Leo and Ota (Otamendi). There’s Emiliano (Martínez), who can also wear the armband. Rodrigo (De Paul), who will miss the two games, could also wear it. Lautaro (Martínez) is another option. But Kuti is the one,” Scaloni emphasized at the press conference.
So far, Cristian Romero has served as captain in three other matches for the Albiceleste. His first time was in the match against Chile in the 2025 South American qualifiers, which ended in a 1-0 victory. This was followed by a friendly against Venezuela in October of the same year and, finally, a 2-1 victory over Mauritania ahead of the World Cup.
*photo source: AP