Lionel Scaloni broke his silence for the first time on his future at the helm of the Argentina national team, speaking to the Asian broadcaster MiGu ahead of his arrival in Buenos Aires for the upcoming triple header of friendlies.
Asked directly about his continuity following the World Cup final defeat to Spain, the coach revealed that matching everything the team has already achieved will undoubtedly be difficult, but he didn’t rule out trying, leaving the door open for a possible renewal and the start of a new cycle built around the next generation.
“We will try, whether we’re there or not,” Scaloni said about the national team’s future. He downplayed the significance of his own decision throughout the interview, instead steering the conversation toward the team and the next generation of players looking to break in.
That next generation was clearly on his mind. “They really deserve it, that’s our intention in the upcoming games: to give young players who can join our style of play a chance. Now an important, beautiful parenthesis opens, a time to trust in these kids who are knocking on the door,” he said, adding that age wouldn’t determine who stays and who’s brought in, only performance at the club level.
Lionel Scaloni and Lionel Messi of Argentina. (Getty Images)
Whoever ends up leading that transition will be following one of the most successful spells in the program’s history. Scaloni has been in charge of Argentina since 2018, winning the 2022 World Cup, back-to-back Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 Finalissima, while posting a 77% win rate across more than 100 matches in charge.
see also
Lionel Messi’s Argentina farewell takes shape and boss Lionel Scaloni has one major regret
His current contract runs through December 31, 2026, and while a verbal agreement with AFA president Claudio Tapia to extend his stay through the 2030 World Cup was reportedly reached before this year’s tournament, the formal signing was pushed back until after the competition, leaving the door open for renewal talks that, according to reports out of Argentina, are already underway.
Scaloni reflects on coaching Lionel Messi one last time
On the eve of the last match in which he’ll coach Lionel Messi for Argentina — October 6 against Benín at the Monumental — Scaloni once again praised the forward, admitting that while the version of Messi he got to manage was brilliant and gave him plenty, he wishes he could have had him in his younger years.
“The Messi of 22, 23 years old was a unique player. He also played well with us, but I would have liked to have had him when he was young. He was unique, he is unique. He felt comfortable with us. We put everything we had at his disposal so that he and everyone else felt comfortable,” the coach said.
With Messi’s Argentina career set to end on October 6, Scaloni’s comments captured the strange duality of this moment for the national team: closing the book on its greatest player while its coach, the man who built the era around him, weighs whether to stay on and start writing the next one.
