Football: the main stories of 09.09.2026

Argentina have handed the armband to a centre-back. Cristian Romero succeeds Lionel Messi, TyC Sports reports, and the choice says more about the next cycle than about the ceremony: the side will now be led from the back rather than from the front. It came on the same day that journalist Verónica Brunati reported Lionel Scaloni had told AFA president Claudio Tapia he wants to step down. Nothing is settled, and the association has said nothing publicly. If Scaloni does go, Romero will be a new captain under a new coach.

The Champions League league phase opened and the seeded sides mostly closed it out early. Arsenal won 1-0 at Napoli through Martin Ødegaard, with Massimiliano Allegri and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo both saying afterwards that the hosts sat too deep and found no answer. Liverpool came from a goal down to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1, Alexis Mac Allister scoring the winner, though Bradley Barcola pulled up on 58 minutes in only his second appearance since a €125m move from PSG. Elsewhere PSG beat Slovan Bratislava 6-1 with a Ferran Torres hat-trick, Ermedin Demirović scored three as Stuttgart saw off Viking 3-1, and Barcelona put five past Feyenoord, where Lamine Yamal took his tally to 21 goal involvements and passed Kylian Mbappé's mark for a teenager. Dani Olmo, speaking to Movistar+, said the club intend to win everything.

• Mykhailo Mudryk faces about two months out with an ankle injury, weeks into his loan at Tottenham from Chelsea.
• A second sample has confirmed Cristian Volpato's positive cocaine test; the striker maintains his innocence, and Football Australia can suspend him from the national side.
• Chelsea trailed Leeds 0-2 in the League Cup and won 6-3, Cole Palmer driving the turnaround.
• Thibaut Courtois has said he will not play for Belgium in the Nations League.
• Marc Overmars left his post as Antwerp sporting director with immediate effect, citing his health; Olympiacos sacked Mendilibar.
• Rangers snatched it at the death at St Mirren, Bojan Miovski's stoppage-time dink making it four wins in a row; Celtic beat St Johnstone for a sixth from six.
• West Brom went top of the Championship after winning 1-0 at Derby with 10 men for over an hour.
• The Premier League's incidents panel found Arsenal should have had a penalty against Aston Villa on 98 minutes, with Matsen sent off.
• Uefa have reworked the Europa League qualifying rounds, lengthening the route for Scottish clubs from next season.
• The RFU has lifted the transfer ban on Rostov and Sochi; Aleksei Batrakov said PSG's representatives did speak to his, but no figures were discussed.
• One outlet reports that 40-year-old Hulk scored and assisted in Fluminense's Libertadores quarter-final first leg against Platense.