Romero Confirms: 'Messi Chose Me' as Argentina's New Captain

Cristian Romero has revealed, in his own words, that Lionel Messi personally chose him to take over Argentina's captaincy — an emotional confession delivered in a new Adidas interview days before Messi's farewell.

"Me eligió" — he chose me

Cristian Romero has confirmed it in his own words: Lionel Messi personally chose him to be Argentina's new captain. The revelation came in a video interview with Adidas Football, released around October 2 and covered by Olé, TNT Sports and the Noticias Argentinas wire agency over the following days.

Speaking in Spanish, Romero said: "Me eligió para que sea el capitán de la Selección y para mí es una linda responsabilidad. Pero que lo haya hecho él, junto con el técnico obviamente, es algo hermoso y obviamente que aprendí al lado de él en estos seis o siete años que llevamos juntos." — "He chose me to be captain of the national team, and for me it is a lovely responsibility. But that he did it, together with the coach obviously, is something beautiful — and obviously I learned at his side in these six or seven years we've been together." (Translation of the original Spanish.)

This is new. Days earlier, it was Lionel Scaloni who had announced the succession — Romero first, then Emiliano Martínez, then Lautaro. Now the successor himself has spoken, and he credits the choice to the man handing over the armband.

The setting matters: this was not a press conference or a federation announcement but a sit-down with Adidas Football's communications team — the same interview series in which Lisandro Martínez also paid tribute to Messi. Released around October 2 and picked up by Olé, TNT Sports and the Noticias Argentinas wire, Romero's words travelled fast precisely because they came from the player himself, unfiltered by club or federation.

A regret, voiced plainly

The most striking moment of the interview was not the confirmation but the confession that followed. Romero, known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, admitted he had not shown Messi enough affection over the years.

"Soy de demostrar el amor así a lo torpe, a lo bruto, pero sí le dije que me arrepiento tanto de no haberle demostrado todo ese amor que siempre le tuve. De eso me voy a arrepentir. Se lo va a extrañar mucho más de lo que la gente piensa. Gracias, capitán." — "My way of showing love is pretty rough, pretty clumsy, but I did tell him that I regret so much not having shown him all the love I always had for him. That is something I will regret. He will be missed much more than people think. Thank you, captain." (Translation of the original Spanish.)

It was a raw, unguarded tribute — the kind players usually save for retirement speeches, delivered while the captain is still in the next room.

How Messi led

Romero also reflected on what made Messi's leadership different across their six or seven years together in the national team:

"Siempre lideró de lado, que nunca se puso por delante de nadie… Siempre me emociono con el video de cuando le ganamos a Inglaterra, que todo el mundo lo ovacionaba a él y él señalaba al equipo… por eso para mí es el futbolista más grande de todos los tiempos y, encima, una persona brillante." — "He always led from the side, never put himself ahead of anyone… I always get emotional with the video of when we beat England, when everyone was applauding him and he was pointing at the team… that's why for me he is the greatest footballer of all time and, on top of that, a brilliant person." (Translation of the original Spanish.)

"He unified an entire nation"

Romero was not alone in the Adidas interview series. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez also sat down with Adidas Football's communications team and offered his own tribute to the outgoing captain:

"Leo no solo unió a los jugadores de la selección, unió a todo un país. Ese es el legado que deja." — "Leo did not merely unite the players within the national squad. He unified an entire nation. This constitutes the legacy he bequeaths." (Translation of the original Spanish.)

Martínez added that Messi had been a model for him personally, particularly during his recovery from injury — "a model for all individuals" who showed "unwavering determination" through the national team's most difficult moments.

The succession order

The facts of the succession, as distinct from the emotion around it: Romero is first in line. He already wore the armband for the first time on September 30, captaining Argentina to a 4-0 win over Bolivia in Córdoba while Messi was absent from the camp.

Behind him come Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez as vice-captain and Lautaro Martínez third — an order announced by Lionel Scaloni at his September 30 press conference, not by Romero in the Adidas interview. Messi, 39, has worn the armband for some 15 years. With the farewell against Benin, that era closes, and the transition Romero has just confirmed becomes complete.

The armband's last dance

None of this changes Tuesday night. Messi will still lead Argentina out at the Estadio Monumental for the October 6 friendly against Benin — his 208th and final cap, the captain's armband on his sleeve one last time.

Romero's interview simply makes official what the last week has shown: the team already knows who leads it next. The torch has not just been named — in Córdoba, with Messi watching from afar, it was already carried.

For the supporters, the message is reassuring. The handover has been handled the way Messi has handled everything in this farewell window: deliberately, emotionally, and on his own terms. Tuesday's captain wears the armband one last time; the man who takes it next has already told the world he was chosen — and that he is ready.

Questions people ask

All of our farewell coverage is on Argentina vs Benin.