Manager Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to victory in the World Cup, shockingly admitted that he was thinking about quitting his job after his team beat Brazil in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.
During his press meeting at the Maracana Stadium, where Argentina had just beat their rivals 1-0 to stay on top of the South American qualifying points for the 2026 World Cup, Scaloni said something shocking about his future.
“Argentina needs a coach who is full of energy and well-prepared.” Scaloni said in his opening comments, “I need to stop the ball and start thinking. I have a lot to think about right now.” He then did not take any questions.
“These players have helped the coaches a lot, and I need to give it some thought before I decide what to do.”
“This isn’t goodbye or anything, but I need to give it some thought because the bar is very high and it’s hard to keep going and winning.”
“These guys are making things hard, so I need some time to think about it.” After that, I’ll talk to the FA head and the players.
The 45-year-old became boss of Argentina in 2018 and led the team to their first big prize since the 1986 World Cup: the Copa America. Last year, they won their third global title in Qatar.
Lionel Messi, who was his leader, quit playing for his country in 2016 but then came back to take on the huge expectations of success from a country where football has been compared to a religion.
A defender for Argentina called Scaloni and told media, “We are sure and hope that Scaloni will continue.”
“Let’s see, he had time to think about it; he didn’t say anything in the locker room.” We’ll try to get him to agree with us.