Do we like them?Do we like Mauricio Macri?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A mostly clean record on harm and in the courts, but a thin pile of real good and a big political bet on Milei.
Mauricio Macri was Argentina's president from 2015 to 2019. In January 2020 FIFA made him executive chairman of its foundation, a pick that drew a barrage of criticism back home. He's a conservative-liberal politician who is better known for markets than for culture wars.
His biggest early stoush was the 2016 Panama Papers leak, which linked his name to offshore companies. A federal prosecutor sought an investigation, and Macri said he had nothing to hide. A court later closed that line of inquiry in his favour, according to reports I saw, though I couldn't open the full articles.
The court record since has mostly gone his way. In 2022 a case over alleged spying on relatives of submarine victims was dismissed, and in November 2023 an appeals court acquitted him in the case known as K Money Road. A Correo Argentino debt case is reported to still be open, but I couldn't confirm its latest step.
On the harm check, his record is mixed rather than ugly. In 2018 he said he was against abortion but opened the debate in Congress and said he would sign a bill if it passed. He reaffirmed the Paris climate deal at the end of the 2018 G20. He also backed Milei in the 2023 runoff, and in January 2025 PRO stayed silent on Milei's Davos speech against sexual diversity. That's the company he keeps, not his own words.
The recent chapter is about PRO's distance from Milei. In October 2025 Macri said PRO would field its own candidate in 2027, and by June 2026 his party was demanding Adorni's removal. Cynics say it's positioning, and Macri's camp calls it principle; where you land depends on which you read.
On good works, the record I could confirm is thin. The FIFA Foundation, which he chairs, focuses on education and sport for young people, and that's the main item I could source. There's no big personal charity story in what I found, so I'm not going to invent one.