Last hope gone! HSV star Capaldo isn't going to the World Cup | OneFootball

The hope that another HSV player would take part in the World Cup remained alive until the very end. But now there is bitter certainty.

Since Thursday evening, it has been clear that Nicolás Capaldo will not be part of Argentina’s squad. In recent weeks, the HSV professional had still had justified hopes of a late call-up, but national coach Lionel Scaloni ultimately decided against the Bundesliga player.

The trigger was the injury to center-back Leonardo Balerdi, which opened up a spot in the World Cup squad. In addition, other players such as right-back Gonzalo Montiel had also been struggling with persistent injury problems. That seemed to open the door once more for Capaldo. After all, the 27-year-old had surprisingly made it into the extended Albiceleste squad and had even made his national team debut a few days ago.

But instead of the Hamburg player, Marcos Senesi got the nod for the tournament in North America. The injured fringe candidates have also all recovered and, according to Scaloni, are ready for the World Cup.

Photo: Getty Images

Strong HSV season not enough for the World Cup

For Capaldo, this is bitter news. Until the very end, he had legitimate hopes of claiming the last open spot in the squad. In the friendly against Honduras, he picked up his first minutes in an Argentina shirt and fulfilled a very personal dream. Even though his appearance was only brief, the national team call-up showed the progress the defensive all-rounder has made in recent months.

At HSV, Capaldo is one of the absolute key players. Originally planned as a box-to-box midfielder, he impressed above all as a center-back last season. His uncompromising style of play, his commitment, and his versatility quickly made him a fan favorite at the Volkspark.

The fact that it was ultimately not enough for the World Cup is still likely to hurt. At the latest after Capaldo spent the entire match on the bench in the last friendly against Iceland (3:0), the signs grew that Scaloni would prefer other options. And that is exactly what happened.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.