Scaloni on the Verge of World Cup History With Argentina
Lionel Scaloni was never supposed to be one of football’s great managers. He got the Argentina job almost by accident — brought in after the chaos of the 2018 World Cup simply because the Argentinian Football Association had no money and no obvious alternatives. According to The Guardian, Scaloni was initially asked only to oversee six end-of-year friendlies, making him perhaps the most low-key appointment in the history of one of football’s biggest jobs.
Now, with Argentina competing at World Cup 2026, he is on the verge of making history. Should Argentina lift the trophy, they would become only the third nation ever to successfully defend the World Cup — a feat that would place Scaloni among football’s most celebrated coaches.
The road to this point has been anything but straightforward. Jorge Sampaoli, brought in from Sevilla at considerable expense ahead of Russia 2018, oversaw a turbulent campaign that included a 3-0 thrashing by Croatia, a nervous last-minute escape against Nigeria, and a 4-3 last-16 defeat to France that, according to The Guardian, “was nowhere near as tight as the scoreline made it appear.”
Scaloni inherited a squad that had not won a senior tournament since 1993 — a damning record given Argentina had also produced five Under-20 World Cup winners during that same period. Messi, meanwhile, had briefly walked away from international football after a penalty shootout defeat in the 2016 Copa América final and his future with the national team remained uncertain.
The key to bringing Messi back, The Guardian reports, was a phone call that included Pablo Aimar — the former River Plate and Valencia playmaker who happened to be Messi’s idol growing up and is now one of Scaloni’s assistants. Scaloni laid out his vision of a reinvigorated side built around Messi, and it worked.
The relationship between the two men actually stretches back much further. During Messi’s ill-fated international debut against Hungary in 2005 — when he was sent off 45 seconds after coming on as a substitute — the only two passes he received came from Scaloni. The former West Ham full-back was also the first to congratulate Messi in the tunnel after his goal against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup.
Scaloni’s philosophy, as described by his analyst Matías Manna, balances tactical rigour with team spirit — the view being that “one asado can be as valuable as 20 tactical sessions.” It is an approach that has produced a remarkably resilient side, one that has repeatedly dug deep when under pressure in this tournament.
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