By Pablo Duer
Buenos Aires, Oct 3 (EFE).- A new captain, an unassigned No. 10 shirt and a younger generation beginning to gain ground mark the start of a new phase for Argentina, as the national team prepares for life without Lionel Messi.
Messi’s farewell on Tuesday against Benin at Buenos Aires’ Monumental stadium will close a cycle of more than two decades, but the transition is already underway.
Its first test came Wednesday in Córdoba, where Argentina defeated Bolivia 4-0.
Coach Lionel Scaloni used the first of three friendlies following the 2026 World Cup to begin testing his squad.
The team retains much of the structure that reached the final against Spain, while making room for new players.
Romero, the new captain
One of the main questions following Messi’s retirement announcement has already been answered: Cristian “Cuti” Romero will inherit the captain’s armband that Messi wore for more than a decade.
“The captain was already Cuti after Leo and Ota,” Scaloni said this week, referring to Messi and Nicolás Otamendi. He added that Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez and Lautaro Martínez would follow in the captaincy line, at least during these friendlies.
Romero wore the armband against Bolivia and marked the occasion with a goal, scoring Argentina’s third in the 4-0 victory.
Scaloni has emphasized that replacing Messi’s contribution will be a collective task rather than a search for a direct individual replacement.
The No. 10 seeks a new owner
Another question with strong symbolic significance remains open: who will wear Argentina’s No. 10 shirt?
Scaloni decided to reserve the number for the first two friendlies of this international window so that Messi could wear it for the final time against Benin on Tuesday.
“After that, we’ll see, starting from that match, who we’ll give it to,” the coach said, without revealing whether the shirt would have a permanent owner or be shared among players.
Among the potential candidates are two young left-footed players who could assume greater creative responsibilities: Nicolás Paz and Franco Mastantuono.
Paz, 22, who is enjoying a strong spell with Italian club Como, started against Bolivia and scored one goal and assisted Romero for another.
His performance continued the progress of a player who was already part of Argentina’s World Cup squad.
Mastantuono, 19 and recently signed by Fiorentina, has a particular connection to the number: he was the last player other than Messi to wear Argentina’s No. 10, in a September 2025 match against Ecuador that Messi missed because of injury.
Other options include Lautaro Martínez, who wears No. 10 for Inter Milan, Thiago Almada, another potential attacking replacement, and more experienced Argentina midfielders such as Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández.
A broader renewal
The transition following Messi’s departure coincides with a broader renewal of a squad that will retain much of the core that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and reached the final four years later, while also looking toward the 2028 Copa América and 2030 World Cup.
Alongside established players such as Romero, Julián Álvarez and “Dibu” Martínez, Scaloni has begun giving playing time to a younger generation, including Agustín Giay, Gianluca Prestianni and Román Vega, a left-back at Russian club Zenit who made his Argentina debut against Bolivia.
He has also given greater opportunities to players such as Valentín Barco and Exequiel Palacios.
Both were members of the most recent World Cup squad but had limited playing time under Scaloni, who had favored more experienced players such as Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes.
The renewal, however, comes with another unresolved issue. Scaloni’s contract expires in December and, although he has expressed his willingness to continue, he has yet to reach a definitive agreement with Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia.
The coach’s future is therefore another question surrounding a transition that has already begun on the field and that Scaloni could continue to oversee if he extends his tenure.
Before that, Argentina will have one final celebration of the era that is coming to an end. On Tuesday against Benin, Messi is expected to wear the No. 10 shirt and captain’s armband for the last time.
After that, Argentina will begin its next chapter without him. EFE
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