Career highlight: HSV leader Capaldo makes international debut! | OneFootball

Nicolás Capaldo is one of HSV’s key players and, on the night leading into Sunday, received a special reward for his convincing performances.

He made his first-ever appearance for the senior Argentina national team. In the 82nd minute of the friendly against Honduras, played in Texas, coach Lionel Scaloni sent the 27-year-old onto the pitch in place of Giuliano Simeone. Shortly afterward, he picked up a yellow card straight away for a foul near the touchline.

Before that, Lautaro Martínez converted a penalty and Simeone – son of Atlético coach Diego Simeone – scored to give Argentina a comfortable 2:0 lead against a harmless opponent. There were no more goals in the closing minutes. On the night leading into Wednesday (3:00 a.m.), Argentina will play their final warm-up match against Iceland. Capaldo, who has so far made nine appearances for the U23 national team, could well get another chance. However, he is not part of the World Cup squad.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nico Capaldo (@nicocapaldo)

Argentina: Could Capaldo be called up?

Even so, the dream of taking part in the tournament in North America is not completely over yet for Hamburg’s vice-captain, who led the team onto the field in 22 Bundesliga matches amid Yussuf Poulsen’s regular absences. Right-back Gonzalo Montiel is currently a doubt due to injury. Capaldo, valued for his versatility, is considered a potential replacement.

Nur die Raute – by HSV fans for HSV fans

At HSV, he mostly operated as a right-sided centre-back, but also featured as a right wing-back, where he stood out as a driving force. Scaloni appreciated those performances and handed him what was then seen as a surprise call-up to the 55-man preliminary World Cup squad. Capaldo seized the opportunity that came his way, developed into a serious option, and experienced one of the highlights of his career with his debut for the “Albiceleste.” The next one may follow in just a few days in the form of a late call-up for the World Cup.

Photo: Getty Images

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