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Cristian Romero will wear the armband for Argentina, and Lionel Scaloni announced the decision before Lionel Messi’s goodbye game had even started. Messi signed off with a penalty in a 3-0 victory over Benin, capping 208 appearances and 126 goals. The coach picked a 28-year-old defender who was already third in the leadership queue, and that choice shows how he sees the next cycle: stability first, a fresh face second, and no drama in between, with the leadership group kept intact around a settled core.
The Monumental in Buenos Aires hosted the goodbye on 6 October 2026, and about 85,000 fans watched Benin lose 3-0. Messi supplied a corner that Nicolás Otamendi headed home after the interval, then threaded a pass for Nico Paz to double the lead before finishing a penalty himself.
That spot-kick was goal number 126 in the sky-blue shirt, struck in cap number 208, and both figures are now final. Otamendi also bowed out, collecting his 140th cap in the same match. Messi had already confirmed his retirement following the defeat to Spain in the World Cup final, so the night was a goodbye with a date attached.
Scaloni did not wait for the farewell to answer the question. His pick is Romero, whom he described as third in the line behind Messi and Otamendi, which makes the promotion a natural step rather than a surprise. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul and striker Lautaro Martínez stay in the frame as armband wearers when needed.
Romero is 28 and moved from Tottenham to Atlético Madrid this summer. He led the team out in the 4-0 Bolivia game on 30 September and found the net too, so the new job already has a first match behind it.
A note on the table below: the caps and goals stop in mid-July 2026, before the autumn friendlies were played, but the clubs shown are where each man plays today.
| Player | Caps | Goals | Club | Armband Record |
| Cristian Romero | 61 | 5 | Atlético Madrid | Wore it against Bolivia |
| Emiliano Martínez | 70 | 0 | Chelsea | Cleared to wear it |
| Lautaro Martínez | 87 | 40 | Inter | Inter club captain |
| Rodrigo De Paul | 95 | 2 | Inter Miami | Backup option |
| Nicolás Otamendi | 140 | 9 | River Plate | Second-in-line before retiring |
Otamendi’s departure leaves the second-captain job open, and Scaloni has pointed to three alternatives behind Romero. Lautaro offers 40 goals and the armband at Inter, De Paul brings a long caps record and a midfielder’s feel for the game, and Emiliano Martínez, a goalkeeper, has no international goals but sees the whole pitch. None of them can match Otamendi’s 140 caps, which is why the role calls for several voices rather than one.
Scaloni called Romero the correct man for the job, and Ángel Di María added his support by saying the defender has earned the role. On caps, De Paul and Lautaro both sit ahead of him, yet the coach ranked Romero first. Continuity and age drive the thinking, and the decision reads as a vote for a known quantity over a bigger name.
Romero was already in the line of succession, and at 28 he can plausibly carry the armband for the whole next World Cup cycle. Lautaro is the only forward in the group yet remains a reserve option, and Emiliano Martínez has just joined Chelsea from Aston Villa, a move that makes him a less settled choice.
Nobody owns the number 10 jersey at the moment. Scaloni kept it unassigned until Messi had said goodbye, and he still has not made a final call, although reports keep naming Paz and Franco Mastantuono as the front-runners. Whoever gets it inherits more than a number, because the shirt carries the weight of the player who just left.
Paz has scored in each of the three friendlies since the World Cup. Lautaro netted against Bolivia and Burkina Faso, while Mastantuono got one in the 7-0 rout of a makeshift Burkina Faso team. Messi leaves with 126 goals, the national record, and every successor will be measured against it, just as Romero will be judged as the next Argentina captain after Messi retirement.
Is Romero the right man to lead Argentina, or should the armband have gone to Lautaro Martínez? Tell us in the comments.
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Who will lead Argentina now that Messi has gone?
Cristian Romero, whom Scaloni named ahead of the Benin match. He was already third in the captaincy order and captained the 4-0 Bolivia win on 30 September.
Is Messi finished with Argentina for good?
Yes, his farewell came against Benin on 6 October 2026. He announced the decision after the World Cup final defeat to Spain, so the Benin match closed a chapter.
How many goals did Messi finish with for Argentina?
He ended on 126 goals from 208 caps. That tally is now the national record, and the final one was a penalty against Benin at the Monumental.
How did Argentina’s farewell game against Benin finish?
Argentina won 3-0 at the Monumental. Otamendi headed in a corner from Messi once the second half began, Paz scored from a pass by Messi, and Messi added a penalty, a hand in every goal.
Who inherits Messi’s number 10 shirt?
Nobody has been named yet. Scaloni held the shirt back until Messi’s farewell and says nothing has been decided, though reports mention Paz and Franco Mastantuono more than anyone else.
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