Hot Takes

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.

A cut of about 40 points would put Manchester City in relegation danger, and 50 would all but finish the job. An independent commission has convicted the club on 114 of the 115 charges, yet the punishment is still undecided. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed, so every figure below is a projection, not a prediction. Last season’s 78 points give a baseline against which each possible cut can be tested, and the arithmetic is less dramatic than the reaction implied, since City began high up the table.

Football history stood still as Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. penned an emotional farewell message to his former teammate and close friend, Lionel Messi. As the 39-year-old Argentine captain prepared for his final international match against Benin at the Estadio Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires, Neymar paid tribute to Messi’s incredible impact on world football.

Indonesia’s foreign-born players decided the final by scoring every goal and successfully converting every penalty. Indonesia beat Thailand 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Jakarta on 5 October to win the first FIFA ASEAN Cup. Both goals Indonesia scored in the final, and all four of its successful penalties, came from players born abroad. John Herdman’s squad was built around them, and the trophy is proof of his plan. That makes this less a story about fortune than about deliberate squad building.

Antoine Semenyo is the safest false nine for City, with Rayan Cherki the creative alternative. Manchester City head to Anfield on 11 October with five wins from five, yet Erling Haaland asked to leave the pitch for Norway on Sunday. Phil Foden is suspended, so the realistic fallback is Semenyo or Cherki. Liverpool sit sixth and are unbeaten in five league games under new coach Andoni Iraola. The draw of Anfield makes the choice harder, because City cannot afford a second weakness in attack.

An era of unparalleled footballing greatness reaches its emotional conclusion as legendary captain Lionel Messi prepares to make his final international appearance for Argentina against Benin. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at River Plate’s iconic Estadio Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires, this FIFA international friendly serves as a grand national celebration honoring football’s greatest player. After leading La Albiceleste across two decades and delivering major trophies—including the 2021 Copa América, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and 2024 Copa América—Messi steps onto home soil in Buenos Aires one last time.

Croatia can only fix their back line by surviving the opening minutes, marking set pieces tightly and staying compact, because it has already been broken twice. They have conceded 12 goals in three games, including a 7-0 defeat by England on 3 October, their heaviest defeat ever. Three days later they host Spain at Stadion Poljud in Split, kicking off at 19:45 BST. Spain have already beaten them 4-1. The question is whether a unit that has broken twice can be mended by Tuesday.

This fixture matters more for the table than for the team sheet, because a win lifts England to nine points and keeps Spain within reach. Only the top two in Group A3 reach the quarter-finals, and Spain visit Croatia the same night. England host Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday, 6 October, with kick-off at 19:45 BST. Spain lead on perfect points, but England hold the best goal difference after two straight wins. A fourth straight defeat would leave Czechia without a single point in the group.

Italy won in Bursa on 28 September by a 4-1 margin, punishing every Turkish mistake and scoring three times inside 27 minutes in a Group A1 match after losing their opener 2-0 to Belgium. Turkey can tidy up the defence in a few days, but not the personnel, because Arda Güler is suspended for the rematch in Bologna on 5 October. Unless coach Vincenzo Montella finds answers to loose balls and a depleted attack, the return game at the Dall’Ara looks like a repeat in waiting.

France keeps winning because they have more ways to score late in tight games and Belgium has too few ways to control a match. Six straight defeats, the latest a narrow 1-0 loss in Brussels on 28 September, show a pattern that has survived tournaments, venues and coaching changes alike. Belgium head to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 5 October missing Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne, two midfielders serving suspensions, which makes the run more likely to continue than to end.

Klopp must cut the crosses, start his creators, and win the ball back faster. Germany had 76% of the possession in Augsburg and 1.45 expected goals, yet lost 1-0 in Greece’s first win in this fixture. Five saves from Tzolakis and a block built to defend the box did the rest. The fixes are specific, and Sunday in Thessaloniki gives Klopp one chance to apply them. Greece had never beaten Germany before that night, so history favours him.

Gonçalo Ramos should lead the line. Portugal have won all three Nations League games under Jorge Jesus, and the open question is who plays at number nine after Ronaldo walked out. Ramos has the goals, an assist and the results with Portugal, while the alternatives bring either shaky form or no minutes at all. A fixed striker also gives Félix, Neto and Leão a clear reference point. The case for Ramos is strong, and the numbers back it up. Three games is a small sample, yet the pattern is clear.