Lionel Scaloni, the coach of Argentina, stated that it is too soon to start planning for life without Lionel Messi and that the captain could return to the side for their World Cup qualifier against Peru on Tuesday. The match will take place on Tuesday.
Messi has stated that he will end his career before the 2026 World Cup and was selected for the squad despite carrying a muscular injury that has kept him out of action for club side Inter Miami. Messi has announced that he will retire before the 2026 World Cup.
Argentine striker who is 36 years old came off the bench in the 53rd minute of Thursday’s match against Paraguay, which Argentina won 1-0. The forward came close to scoring, rattling the woodwork with a free kick in added time.
Before the game in Lima, Scaloni assured the reporters that Leo is in good health. “He has been increasing the number of minutes he trains for. Tomorrow is when we are going to make the decision. It will only be a matter of minutes until we know how much longer he can play. You already know my opinion, and that is that he will play if he is healthy.
We always make it a point to play those who are either at 100% or very close to 100% of their ability. Because it is extremely challenging for everyone to perform at their absolute best in these games in the present day, there is a possibility that the game versus Paraguay will see some personnel changes.
I believe that the team plays with determination regardless of who is on the pitch, and that is the single most essential thing. The other day, we were able to demonstrate that we can play well even without Messi.
Scaloni responded by saying, “Let’s keep in mind that he is still here” when asked if Argentina should get used to playing without their talisman. What an interesting approach to consider the phrase “when he is gone”
“The truth is that he is still active, let’s leave him alone, are we already retiring him?”
Argentina is currently in first place in the CONMEBOL rankings with nine points after three matches, leading Brazil by two points.