Di Maria backs Romero to 'do a great job' as Argentina captain

Angel Di Maria believes Cristian Romero will "do a great job" as Argentina's next captain, with Lionel Messi's final match for the country approaching.

Di Maria and Romero won the World Cup together in 2022, with the former scoring the second goal in a thrilling final with France, which ended in a penalty shoot-out victory for Lionel Scaloni's side.

Scaloni announced his decision to make Romero his next captain, with Argentina playing against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin in friendlies during this international break.

Messi will only feature in their final match against Benin, which will be his farewell before retiring from international football, and Romero is set to wear the armband for the first two fixtures.

"He deserves it. I think it's a great choice by Scaloni and the coaching staff," Di Maria told Sports Center when asked about Romero being the next captain.

"He deserves it because he's a great guy. He has a great temperament to carry the armband and I'm sure he'll do a great job."

Romero has made 58 appearances for Argentina, winning two Copa America titles to go along with his World Cup winner's medal.

The Atletico Madrid defender played a key role in helping Argentina reach the 2026 World Cup final in the summer, though he picked up an injury in the showpiece against Spain.

Among Argentina's defenders at the tournament, Romero won the most tackles (10) and recorded the most interceptions (10), while he won the second-most duels (33) and registered the second-most clearances (26).

Scaloni also named Emiliano Martinez, Rodrigo De Paul and Lautaro Martinez as other options to captain the side in Romero's absence.