Cristian Romero spoke about Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win and Lionel Messi.

Romero was one of the, if not the best player on the pitch for Argentina in their 1-0 win in the World Cup qualifiers. The 25 year old was solid when defending and helped out in attack which had the fans give him a standing ovation. Romero spoke to TyC Sports after the win. Here is what he had to say about Lionel Messi:

“Leo always shows up in the moments when it is difficult for us or when we cannot open up the game, he has those things that only he has and we are very happy to continue having him. He looks very happy and we enjoy him a lot. We are happy to see him doing so well.

“We tried in the first half, we couldn’t open up the scoring but after that when Leo appeared, he made things much easier for us. We could have ended with a bigger gap but I am happy to start off on the right foot and we showed that we are doing very well.”

About the standing ovation from the fans: “The truth is that it is exciting. These are things that stay with you for a lifetime and I did not expect it, I always take advantage of the opportunities that the coach and my teammates have given me since the first day I came to the national team. They trusted me a lot and I try to give it back on the pitch and I am very happy for the ovation from the people.”

Regarding playing at altitude in Bolivia on Tuesday:

“Today we will enjoy this win to start off well and tomorrow we will start preparing for what will be a very tough match. I have never played there but I have seen and they told me that it is very hard and difficult in the altitude so we will try to rest to get to 100% and have another good game.”

Ángel Di María commented on Lionel Messi, being the captain and the two center backs.

Di María did not start Argentina’s 1-0 win vs. Ecuador as he was on the bench but he was brought on as a substitute. The 35 year old received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was brought onto the pitch. Di María spoke to TyC Sports after the match and here is what he had to say:

“I went in for the people. I am happy. I think the recognition from the fans is something very special for me and I have been looking for that for a long time.”

When asked about not starting the match:

“The one who decides is the coach and today I started on the bench and I tried to help when it was my turn. I don’t know if I will play against Bolivia.”

He was also asked about Cristian Romero and Nicolás Otamendi:

“We have two central defenders that break into the middle, from the moment they start. That’s important for us.”

About Lionel Messi:

“For me, it is an honor to have been captain for a few minutes, to have Leo give me the armband. It is something very special after so many years in the national team. And he continues to hit the ball as always, he is the best in the world, the best in history.”

Emiliano Martínez spoke to the media about the team and Lionel Messi.

Martínez once more was the starting goalkeeper for the World Cup champions and once more did not allow a goal. The Best goalkeeper in the world spoke to the media after Argentina’s 1-0 win vs. Ecuador in the World Cup qualifiers. Here is what he had to say:

“It was beautiful, to be honest. We had to suffer because it is not easy to start a qualifying round against a team like them but the truth is that we ended up very happy.”

When asked about Lionel Messi:

“I would like to ask Messi to never leave, I hope he plays in the 2026 World Cup.”

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni commented on the team, Lionel Messi being substituted out and Cristian Romero.

Lionel Scaloni has his Argentina team starting off the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a win and he spoke about it to the media after the match. Here is what he had to say:

“It was unbelievable. I am proud of the game the boys played, with the level of demand that this match had. They played to the limit, as a qualifier. We are tremendously proud of the game they played. They played an incredible game. In many places on the pitch, one on one, we won a lot of duels and the ones we lost, we came back fast.”

Scaloni also commented on Lionel Messi being substituted out:

“He asked me for the change. If not, I wouldn’t take him out. It’s obvious. Later, we will evaluate what he has but he asked for the change.

“I don’t know what he has, honestly. He asked for a change. Tomorrow he will undergo tests. If he is fine, he will come and play. If he’s not fine, we’ll see what we’ll do. We’ll see. It’s all very recent.”

Regarding Cristian Romero:

“Not much can be said about the game he had. He thinks he’s He-Man. He is an incredible central defender. Sometimes, he has to save a few moves. He gets tired and leaves the team in a bad position. But the match he had was incredible. It’s a complete game.”

The match on Thursday against Ecuador also marked five years since Scaloni took over as coach of the Argentina national team:

“When I started, I didn’t think I was going to be around for five years. It seems like it was a short time ago and it was actually five years ago. There were difficult moments. That’s when you realize that time has passed. You get better with experience, you play more games.”