Argentina face a testing transition period as they attempt to move on from Lionel Messi’s international retirement, with question marks also hanging over the futures of coach Lionel Scaloni and several ageing players. Messi vacated the famous number 10 shirt on Monday, after 21 years of carrying Argentinian hopes on his shoulders. It was a burden that weighed heavily initially, before a golden era late in his career during which the South American giants won three major titles, including the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina face a testing transition period as they attempt to move on from Lionel Messi’s international retirement, with question marks also hanging over the futures of coach Lionel Scaloni and several ageing players.
Enzo Fernandez, who moved to Manchester City from Chelsea on Monday for a fee that equalled the British transfer record, and Alexis Mac Allister have made the central midfield positions their own, while Messi’s departure could give Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez more space to shine up front. The former Deportivo La Coruna right-back’s current deal runs out in December. “I’m going to honour my contract, and then we’ll see. Despite Messi’s retirement, there will likely still be plenty of familiar faces in a squad who will remain title favourites.
Because i don’t know if it’s possible to achieve something as great as this, i need to think,. Of the 17 players who featured in that match for Scaloni’s side, only two will be under the age of 30 when the next World Cup kicks off in South America in 2030. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has since suggested he may follow suit, as has 32-year-old midfield enforcer Leandro Paredes, who was slapped with a 10-match ban by FIFA for attacking Spain players after the final whistle. Scaloni had reportedly agreed a contract extension until 2030 before the World Cup, but he cast doubt on his future after the poor performance in the final.
The 48-year-old, whose team are known as the “Scaloneta” at home, was appointed in 2018 and ended Argentina’s 28-year wait for a major trophy with victory in the 2021 Copa America.
