Romero gets Argentina’s armband — but Messi’s No. 10 has no successor yet

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named Cristian Romero as captain and outlined a temporary vacancy for Lionel Messi’s No. 10 at a September 29 press conference at the national team’s training base, before the Bolivia friendly in Córdoba. The announcements settle who takes the armband, but leave the shirt’s eventual recipient undecided.

Scaloni’s clearest answer on the future No. 10 was also his shortest: “We have not decided it yet,” TyC Sports reported. Romero’s leadership appointment does not make him the designated heir to Messi’s number, and leaving it unassigned for now does not amount to announcing its permanent retirement.

Who is Argentina’s captain after Messi?

The captaincy order is explicit in the Argentine Football Association’s conference record: Cristian “Cuti” Romero comes first, followed by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and then Lautaro Martínez. EFE separately reported that Scaloni had selected Romero to lead Argentina against Bolivia without Messi on the field.

Scaloni described Romero as already next in the hierarchy after Messi and Nicolás Otamendi. He said Romero had accepted responsibility for the armband and would have to demonstrate what captaining Argentina meant, with other players looking to imitate his behaviour. The coaching staff believed he could do it.

Scaloni said he had never seen anyone generate what Messi does both on and off the pitch. But he also said Argentina had players capable of providing leadership. Naming a captain was one part of that transition; his comments described the broader responsibility as a collective effort.

Why Messi’s No. 10 is staying vacant

TyC Sports reported that Scaloni’s plan was to allocate No. 10 to nobody for the September 30 Bolivia friendly or the October 3 meeting with Burkina Faso. Messi was due to wear it against Benin on October 6, in what the outlet described as his farewell appearance for Argentina.

“In these matches we are not obliged to have someone wear No. 10, so until Leo’s match we will not give it to anyone,” Scaloni said, in comments reported by TyC. EFE also reported the intended vacancy. That is the coach’s explanation of his selection decision.

These were plans announced before the Bolivia match, not a verified account of which numbers appeared on the pitch. The October 6 farewell also remains a scheduled appearance. Neither the captaincy announcement nor the shirt decision establishes a match result or confirms how Argentina subsequently lined up.

Has Argentina retired Messi’s number?

Scaloni’s remarks describe a temporary vacancy followed by a future choice. TyC reported that his preference was for one player eventually to keep the number because of what wearing it means. He did not identify that player or provide a firm date for the decision.

TyC discussed Nico Paz and several established players as possible recipients. Those names were the outlet’s proposed candidates, not appointments announced by Scaloni. The confirmed position remains narrower: Argentina have a captaincy order, while the future holder of No. 10 has not been named.

There is precedent for another player wearing the number in Messi’s absence. TNT Sports Argentina reported in September 2025 that Franco Mastantuono had worn it against Ecuador. Scaloni explained then that Thiago Almada had been intended to take it but could not play, so the staff chose Mastantuono. That was a match-specific decision.

What changes in Argentina’s playing style?

Scaloni’s stated intention is continuity: “The identity will not change: it is about having the ball,” AFA recorded him saying. He said the team had responded in previous matches without Messi and that younger players could contribute. Those were his assessments, rather than guarantees about future performances.

He described the current renewal as starting from a stronger base than at the beginning of his tenure. The staff had players they trusted, he said, while explicitly warning that this did not guarantee results. He also said new players had been monitored and would receive opportunities.

What remains undecided for Argentina?

Alongside the shirt succession, Scaloni’s own future remained an open question. EFE reported that his contract expires on December 31, 2026 and that talks with AFA had begun. His expressed willingness to continue was not an announcement of a completed renewal.