Throughout the 2026 World Cup, from the opening match to the 3-1 victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals, coach Lionel Scaloni continuously received the same question: how do you see the legacy of the current Argentine team?
After nearly 8 years of leading Albiceleste, Scaloni's legacy has almost been affirmed, as has many of his students. The 48-year-old coach ended Argentina's nearly three-decade title drought, bringing home his third World Cup title and two Copa America titles. From a controversial appointment decision, Scaloni is now considered the most successful coach in the history of the Argentine national team and receives almost absolute respect.
Usually, Scaloni avoids answering questions directly about heritage. However, before the match against Switzerland, he had emotional shares when mentioning the video spread after the comeback against Egypt in the round of 16. In it, an Argentine boy about 10 years old was so moved that he took off his shirt, constantly praising his fighting spirit and pride in being Argentine.
The coaching staff and the players play football because of such moments. Those are emotions that come from the heart. It's great that a boy of that age can say that. If this team leaves something behind, it is the inspiration for today's children to believe that one day they can also wear the national team jersey" - Scaloni said.
Argentina has shown the class of a championship contender throughout the tournament, but also made fans experience many heart-stopping moments. They continuously let the match drift to the final minutes, many times losing the lead and often having to rely on Lionel Messi to solve difficulties. Twice at this year's World Cup, Albiceleste was very close to the risk of being eliminated against lower-rated opponents, including Cabo Verde in the round of 16. And that scenario continued to repeat before Switzerland.
It took Julian Alvarez's moment of brilliance, who was almost silent throughout the match, for Argentina to resolve the deadlock. The beautiful curling shot from the 26-year-old striker helped Albiceleste fans burst into tears. A few minutes later, Lautaro Martinez scored another goal in a counter-attack to seal a 3-1 victory. That is also an affirmation that Argentina does not always need Messi to score to overcome challenges.
After the match, Argentina's interview area was filled with words like "sufrir" (endurance) or "costar" (exchange). Victory came, but it cost a lot of sweat and stress.
Every match at the World Cup is like that. Sometimes we have difficulties, sometimes opponents are under pressure. Many matches have extra time. But we always know we will fight to the end. Just winning, everything is worth it" - Alvarez shared.
Scaloni also shares the same view as his student: "To reach the World Cup semi-finals, you must know how to endure. We did that in Qatar and today too. In the end, we always find a way to win".
Those seem to be two parallel images of Argentina in the last two World Cups: both excellent and chaotic.
Argentina will face England in the semi-finals in Atlanta, a reunion of one of the most fateful matches in world football history. That confrontation is reminiscent of Maradona and Shilton, Beckham and Simeone.
Albiceleste is not yet a perfect team, but they always know how to overcome difficulties. However, the road ahead will be much more challenging than Cabo Verde, Egypt or Switzerland. If they overcome England, they will also have to face Spain or France in the final.
That is part of our bloodline. It is in Argentina's DNA. Those difficulties help us become stronger. We understand the feeling of being overwhelmed by the opponent, being equalized and having to endure pressure. Today, the whole team still maintains their composure and will never give up" - Scaloni affirmed.
