Lionel Scaloni makes long-awaited statement on post-Messi future with Argentina
The Argentina national team manager has been waiting to see what will happen in his and the team's future.
This week, the reigning Copa America champions and runners-up at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will return to action. Without Lionel Messi , who is set to join the team soon for his final international game on October 6, Argentina will face Bolivia in a friendly on Wednesday.
Argentina's future is truly up in the air at the moment. With Messi and Nicolas Otamendi retiring from international duty, plus other icons like Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul unsure of whether to continue, manager Lionel Scaloni has a lot of things to sift through. Even Scaloni's own future isn't certain right now.
Technically, Scaloni's contract runs out at the end of 2026 . By most accounts, Scaloni has been struggling to decide on whether to continue or not. With Messi leaving, many assumed he might just leave as well , as there's set to be a lot of turnover within the squad. Scaloni himself has even said there are going to be big changes.
Lionel Scaloni says he wants to continue with the Argentina national team, ending exit speculation
But in the leadup to the Bolivia friendly, Scaloni has inspired hope among Argentinians. It sounds like he's planning on staying , as long as he works out a contract renewal with AFA.
Whenever I come here, I hold meetings. We’ve met to work out an agreement regarding my contract renewal. Both sides are open to it, so it’s just a matter of reaching a deal; when there is something to announce, we’ll announce it. We need to assess what lies ahead for us. If there weren't any motivation, or if a great group hadn't been built, I wouldn't have sat down to talk. The desire to continue is there.
Losing both Messi and Scaloni, the two leading forces behind a historic run since 2021, would have been detrimental to the national team. At the very least, it seems like Scaloni isn't going anywhere.
