In an interview before the 2026 World Cup, coach Lionel Scaloni said that the coaching staff of the Argentine national team will let Messi decide his ability to play instead of imposing specific limits.
“We have no plans to replace Messi in the match. He will play as long as he wants. When Messi has to leave the field, it is often a sign that something is wrong. Just having Messi on the field, Argentina always has more chances of winning,” the 48-year-old strategist shared.
According to Scaloni, Messi's continued presence at the 2026 World Cup is not surprising, because this striker still maintains a very strong desire for victory even though he has won enough prestigious titles in his career.
The Argentine coach also recalled Messi's turbulent journey with the national team. After defeats in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals and the 2014 World Cup, Messi faced much criticism and at one point announced his retirement from the national team.
However, since Scaloni took over "Albiceleste", the Argentine national team has gradually revived strongly. Along with the coaching team, especially Pablo Aimar, Scaloni has persuaded Messi to continue to contribute, thereby building a highly competitive team with many young players.
In the past 6 years, Argentina has won a series of major titles including Copa America 2021, Copa America 2024, Finalissima 2022 and especially the 2022 World Cup championship in Qatar.
Coach Scaloni said that Messi is currently not in the best physical condition due to the impact of a recent injury. Therefore, the coaching staff is developing a separate recovery plan for the Argentine captain to ensure he reaches optimal fitness before the opening match against Algeria on June 17.
We always observe Messi's playing feeling to make the right decision. There is no fixed plan at all. When Messi is in good form, having him on the field is already a great advantage," Scaloni added.
In addition, the Argentina national team coach assessed that the 2026 World Cup will have fierce competition with many championship candidates. In addition to Argentina and Brazil, he mentioned teams such as Spain, France, Portugal, England, Colombia, Uruguay, Morocco and Croatia.
Scaloni admitted that the task of defending the world championship will be very difficult, but affirmed that Argentina and Messi will try their best to overcome all challenges at the tournament taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
