Bombshell: Leonardo Balerdi misses the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) officially confirmed that defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and has been ruled out of the final squad for the World Cup.

Maximum alert in the national team: the official statement

The terrible news shook the training camp of Lionel Scaloni’s side ahead of the friendly matches. Through its official communication channels, Argentine football’s governing body released the clinical medical report that put an end to the hopes of the current Olympique de Marseille center-back:

“#SeniorNationalTeam Defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and will not be able to be part of the squad that will play in the World Cup. Stay strong, keep fighting, and wishing you a speedy recovery, Flaco! 💪🏼🇦🇷

“Flaco,” who had been establishing himself as one of the regular options in the rebuilding of Argentina’s central defense for the big World Cup event, suffered this physical issue in the deep calf muscle, an area known for being difficult and slow to recover for top-level competition. His absence forces the coaching staff to urgently reshape the list of call-ups in that position.

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