05/11/2024

Scaloni: "The day Lionel Messi can no longer play, it will be difficult for us to accept it" [VIDEO]

Jueves 30 de Marzo del 2023

Lionel Scaloni, coach of the Argentina National Team, pointed out that he told Lionel Messi to enjoy his last years in football and not to put pressure on himself regarding the opportunity to play in the next World Cup.

Lionel Messi
With Lionel Scaloni as coach, Argentina won the World Cup, Copa America, and the Finalissima. | Source: AFP

Lionel Messi became world champion in Qatar 2022, a tournament where he was chosen as the best player. The Argentine star, who will turn 36 in June, is in his last years in football, and this year he hinted that he has closed his participation in the World Cups.

However, the players of the Argentina national team themselves believe that Messi will extend his career and be able to play the 2026 World Cup at the age of 38. In that line, coach Lionel Scaloni has a position.

Scaloni is optimistic, but emphasized how difficult it will be for Argentines when Messi leaves football. "The day he can't play, we will have a hard time assimilating it. I enjoy it even in difficult moments. When we lost to Saudi Arabia, he was the first one to rise," he said.

In an interview with AFA Studio, the 44-year-old coach said, "I told him not to get into his head if he will play the next World Cup or not, to enjoy. He gets along with his teammates. I got the feeling that he enjoyed every moment."

"They will give their all for Lionel Messi"

"The fact that they see Leo as the best player in history, as they see him... they will give their all for him. That makes a different chemistry. That counts a lot in football," Scaloni reflected on the support that Messi receives from his teammates in the Albiceleste.

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