• Messi’s successor, Cristian “Cuti” Romero

Cristian “Cuti” Romero has emerged as Argentina’s new main captain following Lionel Messi’s retirement from international football, marking the beginning of a new leadership era for the world champions.

Romero, who previously served as the third-choice captain behind Messi and Nicolás Otamendi, has now been entrusted with the armband by both Argentina’s coaching staff and his fellow players.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender has long been regarded as one of the most influential voices within the Argentina dressing room, with his vocal leadership and uncompromising style making him a natural successor to Messi.

His promotion also reflects the growing importance of the defender to the national team since establishing himself as a key figure under head coach Lionel Scaloni.

Romero’s leadership credentials have previously received the backing of Messi, who praised the defender’s impact on Argentina’s defensive stability and described his contribution as “extraordinary”.

With Messi’s international retirement bringing an end to a 21-year Argentina career, Romero now faces the challenge of leading a team that has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent years.

Under Scaloni, Argentina won the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, with Messi at the heart of the team’s transformation from perennial underachievers to a dominant force in international football.

•Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi waves [bye – bye to football career] as he leaves the pitch after winning the 2026 World Cup Group J football match between Argentina and Austria at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on June 22, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Lionel Messi has officially announced his retirement from international football after winning 207 caps for Argentina.

In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Messi wrote:“It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all – not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.

“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team.

I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.”

The 39-year-old said after the death of his father, Jorge, this month that he had “quite a few doubts about whether I’m going to keep doing it for much longer”.

Messi, who made his Argentina debut in 2005, won the World Cup in 2022 and was a runner-up this summer and in 2014.He also secured two Copa América titles

[File photo] Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme

‎The National Sports Commission (NSC) has appointed Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme as Acting General -Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), following a major leadership shake-up in the country’s football governing body.‎

‎Ikpeme, who previously served as the NFF Deputy General – Secretary, will oversee the federation’s secretariat during the transition period, while Dr Ademola Olajire, former Director of Media and Communications, will serve as Acting Deputy General -Secretary.

‎The appointments followed the resignations on Thursday of NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General – Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi, and several members of the federation’s Executive Committee.‎‎

The NSC also suspended all processes initiated for the NFF Elective Congress scheduled for September 27.