The story had to end somewhere. But neither the soccer fans nor the players expected a sudden shock in the Argentinian national team camp. Lionel Messi has a reason to be worried, as the legendary Argentinian coach, Lionel Scaloni, is set to leave his post. The pair provided many moments of joy for Argentinian fans across the seas, but the story will end soon.
The coach also had a tremendous year with the national team. Argentina won five of the six games played in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. To go with it, the team also won the record-breaking game against rivals Brazil in the ultimate clash of the year. All before a surprising announcement from the coach.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni to call quits
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After a successful stint as a manager for Argentina, Scaloni considered moving out of his role. In the last match against Brazil, the coach revealed that the team had set superior standards and could need another manager. But now the reports suggest that the World Cup winner will have one last shot at the 2024 Copa America.
🚨🇦🇷 Lionel Scaloni DEJARÍA la Selección Argentina post-Copa América 2024.
Vía @leoparadizo. pic.twitter.com/bfgpm8hzP2
— Ataque Futbolero (@AtaqueFutbolero) November 29, 2023
The 45-year-old joined the Argentina national team as a coach in November 2018 after an unsatisfactory World Cup performance in Russia. Scaloni was part of Jorge Sampaoli’s coaching team at the 2018 World Cup. However, the Argentinian coach faced a lot of criticism after joining.
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The inexperience of being a coach, combined with the disappointment of a subpar World Cup performance, left supporters and Argentinian experts questioning Scaloni. Even the late great Diego Maradona undermined him, saying, “He can’t even manage traffic.” At last, he and Lionel Messi have scripted one of the nation’s most beautiful soccer stories.
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Lionel Messi will miss one of his strongest on-field supporters
Lionel Messi will be the most heartbroken at his coach after he decides to move out. Together, they have won the international treble for the Albiceleste. Additionally, the former West Ham defender is one of the biggest supporters of La Pulga.
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Scaloni rated Lionel Messi above Diego Maradona and also as the greatest player in history. He also backed him to continue playing for the national team for as long as health permits. He even claimed that the captain can play in the 2026 World Cup and will receive eternal support from the team.