Argentina face a testing transition period as they attempt to move on from Lionel Messi’s international retirement, with question marks also hanging over the futures of coach Lionel Scaloni and several ageing players. Messi vacated the famous number 10 shirt on Monday, after 21 years of carrying Argentinian hopes on his shoulders. It was a burden that weighed heavily initially, before a golden era late in his career during which the South American giants won three major titles, including the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina face a testing transition period as they attempt to move on from Lionel Messi’s international retirement, with question marks also hanging over the futures of coach Lionel Scaloni and several ageing players.
The 39-year-old’s last competitive match for Argentina was the 1-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup final in July. Of the 17 players who featured in that match for Scaloni’s side, only two will be under the age of 30 when the next World Cup kicks off in South America in 2030. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has since suggested he may follow suit, as has 32-year-old midfield enforcer Leandro Paredes, who was slapped with a 10-match ban by FIFA for attacking Spain players after the final whistle. Real Madrid winger Franco Mastantuono did not make the World Cup squad but has already won four international caps at the age of 19. Argentina currently have no fixtures scheduled for the international break later this month but the Argentinian football association is reportedly planning a possible farewell match for Messi, the country’s record goalscorer and record appearance maker with 125 goals in 207 games.
“If he (Messi) isn’t there, it will be hard for everything to keep working the way it used to,” Paredes told Argentinian TV channel TN. The 48-year-old, whose team are known as the “Scaloneta” at home, was appointed in 2018 and ended Argentina’s 28-year wait for a major trophy with victory in the 2021 Copa America.
