Scaloni breaks his silence: Messi, 2026 World Cup squad and issues | OneFootball

Lionel Scaloni, head coach of the Argentina national team, gave an extensive press conference as part of a new FIFA window and ahead of the first international friendly against Mauritania, which will take place on Friday, March 27 at La Bombonera. The coach spoke about Lionel Messi’s presence, the cancellation of the Finalissima, the final squad list for the 2026 World Cup, and the complications involved. He also revealed that Serbia will be one of the opponents in June, before the World Cup.

During one part of the press conference, the coach was asked about La Pulga, who has yet to confirm his presence at the World Cup. “That’s more a question for him. As for me, you already know what I think. I’ll do everything possible for him to be there. I believe that, for the good of football, he has to be there. It will depend on him, his frame of mind, his physical condition. It’s difficult. It’s not only Argentinians who want to see him. Everyone wants to see him. When the time comes, if he’s fit to play the whole match… he’s the one who decides. He has earned the right to decide calmly. We’re in no rush about that. Whatever he decides will be best both for the team and for him,” he said.

At the same time, he made it clear that he does not want to promise they will repeat their World Cup triumph: “Not only promise it, but even talk about a World Cup... It’s something incredible. To promise it can happen again is to promise something unthinkable. Especially because of how difficult it is.”

“There are many World Cups that aren’t won by the team that deserves it most. That’s the difficulty. For me, it’s enough that the people feel represented. We keep the conviction we have. For me, the greatest thing is that the people feel represented,” he added.

Scaloni also referred to the difficulties in putting together the final squad: “The most important thing is that they arrive in good shape. We all want to play against the best national teams. Today we have 10 days and it may not seem interesting, but for us it’s super important. It guarantees you nothing. That’s more than obvious. What we have to do is make use of the positive side. From there, the result will tell us whether we got it right or not.”

On the other hand, the coach gave his opinion on Argentina’s new faces, so close to the World Cup: “The important thing is that the boys come, spend time with their families, and that we get to know the new ones even better. In the end, you have to take the positives. We have two friendly matches. The opponents must be respected. They’re there to be played. The boys deserve an opportunity and, why not, to fight for a place at the World Cup.” He added: “We’re open to looking at players, like the boys who came now. There are other boys we’re following. Everything will depend on how they arrive, how they are. Not only in terms of injuries, but also their level of play.”

Scaloni also revealed that he will not call the players who are left out of the final squad: “It had its difficulties, the final absences of some of the boys. Because of how close we are to it, you take it differently. It’s very hard to tell a footballer that he’s not going to be at the World Cup. We’re not going to call them to tell them no. We’ll announce the squad thinking about what’s best for the team.”

The coach also explained why he later called up Franco Mastantuono (and Joaquín Panichelli as well) and mentioned Tomás Aranda, Boca’s brand-new breakout player. “We were only going to play one match and we couldn’t fill it with players. It was pointless. When we were told there would be a second match, we called him up,” he said. He added: “Thankfully, they really are mature beyond their years. We’re happy with him. He’s 18. Without going any further, Aranda, who has come to train with us, is the same age as Franco. He’s young, Aranda is young... You have to give him time. He’s at a demanding club, the most demanding in the world. For me, it’s enough that he understands his situation. We will provide all the support. His career is just beginning and it has to keep moving upward.”

Although it still remains to be seen what the match will be like (number of substitutions and whether FIFA rules will apply), the coach plans to field a starting eleven from the outset, with Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Lionel Messi, and Julián Álvarez.

The call-up comes in a context marked by several battles for a final spot on the 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup. Gianluca Prestianni, Franco Mastantuono, Marcos Acuña, Gabriel Rojas, Joaquín Panichelli, José López, Valentín Barco, and Marcos Senesi (who could start against Mauritania) are some of the names who will try to shine in order to earn a place on the final list.

Scaloni’s choices for the World Cup must be made by certain deadlines. The first is May 11, when a preliminary list of up to 55 names must be submitted, although its publication is not mandatory. On the other hand, May 30 is the final deadline to report the 26 players who will travel to North America to represent La Albiceleste. Therefore, this FIFA break will be the last one in which the coaching staff will be able to watch their players in action and then make decisions regarding the call-up.

After the press conference, the afternoon training session ahead of the clash with Mauritania will take place. The schedule will conclude on Tuesday, March 31 at 8:15 p.m., when Argentina host Zambia at La Bombonera.

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