How Argentina could shape up in the post-Messi era | OneFootball

All good things come to an end. For Argentina, that end arrived on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Albiceleste came within inches of becoming the first national team in football history to win four consecutive major trophies, having previously won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024 and the World Cup in 2022. Ultimately, however, they fell short of their objective in a 1-0 defeat to Spain.

Argentina’s post-World Cup transition

La Selección will now enter a transitional period, with Nicolás Otamendi (38) announcing his international retirement, while others like Rodrigo de Paul (32), Giovani Lo Celso (30), Leandro Paredes (32) and Gerónimo Rulli (34) could follow. After eight years at the helm, it remains to be seen whether or not manager Lionel Scaloni will extend his contract past its current expiry date of December 31.

But make no mistake: the biggest change will come in attack, as Lionel Messi steps away from the national team after 21 years. Having produced one last masterpiece in North America by spearheading Argentina to another World Cup Final, Messi will finally call it quits after an astonishing 125 goals in 207 appearances (both records), and he’ll be looking to bow out in style on October 6 in a friendly vs. Benin.

Just how could Argentina shape up in the post-Messi era? Let’s take a look.

In the 4-4-2 formation

Argentina operated in a 4-4-2 formation in the 2026 World Cup, with Messi partnering Lautaro Martínez (29) up top in the first two matches before being rested vs. Jordan. In his place, Julián Álvarez and Martínez started up top, with the latter scoring from the penalty spot. Martínez accompanied Messi vs. Cape Verde before being dropped for the next four matches.

The argument for Martínez

Following two straight World Cups of losing his starting spot to Álvarez midway through the tournament, Martínez might just be able to lock down a starting spot. He’s already established his value for Argentina with 40 goals and 84 appearances, and after scoring four goals (mainly off the bench) to secure the 2024 Copa, he’s continued to demonstrate why he is a world class no.9.

After a sensational 2025/26 that saw him win the domestic double and his second Capocannoniere in three years, Martínez has picked up where he left off by single-handedly winning five points for Inter with crucial braces vs. Napoli and Roma. Álvarez, in contrast, has been markedly quiet since making himself the #1 pariah in the Atlético Madrid fanbase after publicly coveting a move to Barcelona.

The argument for Álvarez

He may be out of form, but Álvarez has proven that he can be one of the best 9s in the game when he’s fit and firing. His statistics are impressive: 139 goals in 335 appearances for River Plate, Manchester City, and Atleti, as well as 15 in 59 for Argentina. Scaloni could very well decide to pair the two center forwards together and allow them to work off each other and wreak havoc against defenses.

Possible Argentina Starting XI in a 4-4-2

This switch to an out-and-out 4-4-2 would allow Argentina to incorporate their two best forwards into the same team, and it would also enable them to play direct and bypass the press with vertical passes. Furthermore, they boast plenty of talented young 9s like José Manuel López, Santiago Castro, and Joaquín Panichelli, who are capable of coming off the bench and making an impact against tired legs.

Flanks rife with uncertainty in a 4-3-3

It seems that the spine of the pitch will remain fairly consistent for Argentina, assuming that Emiliano Martínez keeps going at 34. However, it’s the flanks where there’s the most uncertainty. Nicolás Tagliafico (34) rolled back the years with a superb display in the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium, but he’s since found playing time hard to come by on the left side of Lyon’s defense.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear who would replace Tagliafico if he is phased out. Whilst they have experience at left back, Facundo Medina (27) and Valentín Barco (22) are regularly playing at center back and central midfield at the club level. There is also Román Vega (22), who is starting at left back for Zenit Saint Petersburg at the moment. Nahuel Molina could shift over to the left — where he has been playing for Roma as of late — with Gonzalo Montiel or Juan Foyth starting on the right.

Further forward is where the biggest questions lie. Argentina won’t be able to replace Messi with just one player, but they might be able to do so with multiple players.

The case for Mastantuono

Franco Mastantuono (19), who, after a disappointing debut season in European football, is starting to find his footing. After breaking onto the scene for River in 2025 and becoming the youngest player to debut for Argentina, Mastantuono earned a move to Real Madrid but struggled to justify his €45 million transfer fee before being sent out on loan to Fiorentina. He’s been able to get back to his best in Tuscany, leading Fiorentina in shots per game (4.4) and successful dribbles (1.8), and he could be set to play a significant role in the next World Cup cycle.

Mastantuono is proving that he might just have a future at Real, whether it’s receiving in between the lines and carrying the ball out of pressure and torching his opponent with a sudden change in direction. Perhaps what’s most striking about his game is his ball-striking — particularly with his left — and this was on full display on September 11 as he scored three goals at Venezia. In doing so, he surpassed Messi as the youngest Argentine to score a hat-trick in Europe’s top five leagues.

Possible Argentina Starting XI in a 4-3-3

Perhaps a radical move? A 4-2-3-1?

Two years ago, Argentina lost arguably their greatest-ever left winger in Ángel Di María, and now, they’ve lost their greatest right winger — scratch that, greatest player of all time — in Messi. In order to compensate for this void, Scaloni may very well decide to lessen the amount of box-to-box midfielders in his team and switch to a more attack-minded formation like the 4-2-3-1.

Right side options

On the right, Giuliano Simeone looks poised to play a major role for Argentina. At 23 years of age, he has proven essential under father Diego in this new-look Atleti side, having already bagged two goals and two assists this season. He’s constantly making his presence felt on both sides of the pitch, whether it’s leading the press and diligently tracking back, or immediately working the ball into the final third with his incisive dribbling and piercing runs toward the byline.

There are a number of mercurial talents who will be looking to replace Messi like Gianluca Prestianni, who is making his case as the best player in Liga Portugal, and Matías Soulé, who is leading Roma’s Scudetto chase. There are also players like Lo Celso and Emiliano Buendía, who still have a few years left of their prime, and other raw, unfinished products like Thiago Almada, Leonel Flores and Claudio Echeverri.

Perhaps the most natural fit in terms of filling the #10 is Nico Paz. Similarly to Messi, he was brought up in Spanish football and has quickly established himself as one of the best players in a top-five league (Serie A) for Como. Gifted with exceptional close control, vision, press resistance, and a powerful left-footed shot, Paz naturally drifts into the zones where Messi operated in the past, orchestrating play and unlocking tight defenses with his world-class vision.

Left side options

However, it’s on the left where options are far more sparse. While the likes of Álvaro Montoro, Benja Domínguez, Mateo Silvetti and Agustín Ojeda have potential, they’re still far away from reaching their peak. If Alejandro Garnacho can recover the same form that saw him become a star at Manchester United, then he might be the answer on the left. Right now, though, he’s gone from warming the bench at Stamford Bridge to warming it at Villa Park.

Possible Argentina Starting XI in a 4-2-3-1

Age spurs Argentina’s change

Argentina are set for a major overhaul in the coming years. From the starting XI in the 2026 World Cup Final, Julián Álvarez and Enzo Fernández are 26 and 25 years old. Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero are both 28; Alexis Mac Allister will turn 28 in three months, while their three main right backs, Montiel, Molina, and Foyth, are 29, 28, and 28, respectively.

Scaloni will be without Fernández, Otamendi, De Paul, Messi, Lo Celso, Foyth, and Almada for the match against Bolivia at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba. He’ll also have a chance to experiment in the following match against Burkina Faso, before paying homage to Messi and other retiring legends like Otamendi vs. Benin.

It took Argentina a decade to recover from Diego Maradona’s retirement and reach another major final — it took them three to actually win silverware. Now, can they move on from greatest player in their entire history and start building towards a third consecutive final in both the World Cup and Copa América? History has shown that it’s far easier said than done.