Scaloneta's new leader: Cuti Romero to become Argentina captain | OneFootball

Cristian “Cuti” Romero will be the new captain of the Argentina National Team for the era beginning after the definitive departure of Lionel Messi and the stepping away of Nicolás Otamendi. The Córdoba-born defender for Atlético de Madrid, who came up through Belgrano, will take on the leadership role in the locker room and be the commanding voice on the field at 28 years old.

A planned decision

This appointment is not a last-minute surprise, but rather part of a structure that had been in the works since before the World Cup. At the time, head coach Lionel Scaloni had named him the team’s third captain. With the departure of the two main leaders, the center back naturally inherits the primary armband.

To hand him the captain’s band, the coach from Pujato prioritized the Córdoba native over other heavyweights of the “Scaloneta,” such as Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez and Nicolás Tagliafico. It should be noted that Scaloni’s own continuity through 2027 has not yet been finalized, as he is still negotiating the renewal of his contract with the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

Cuti’s previous experience with the armband

The September friendlies, whose opponents will be officially announced this week, will mark Romero’s debut as the formal and permanent captain. However, it will not be his first experience with the armband, which he has already worn on three occasions across the 58 matches he has played for the national team, always under Scaloni’s guidance:

After the historic void left by the renewal of the World Cup-winning squad, the National Team begins a new transitional stage by establishing the center back as its foremost standard-bearer on the field.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.