Lionel Scaloni wants to quit the Argentina national team after winning the FIFA World Cup last year.
Many people were surprised when Lionel Scaloni intimated that he would retire after Argentina’s historic victory over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. While Argentina defeated Brazil, the game was overshadowed by pre-match crowd unrest, which forced a delay in kick-off.
Before the game ever started, tensions between the two South American titans rose at Rio’s renowned Maracana Stadium. Police in Brazil were compelled to interfere. They used batons to clear a crowd of Argentine fans, creating a tense situation.
Lionel Messi and his teammates exited the pitch at one point. Messi expressed his disinclination to play in the midst of the pandemonium. They did, however, return and score a historic victory.
The manager who led Argentina to World Cup success in 2022 looked thoughtful as he said, “Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well … I need to stop the ball and start thinking, I have a lot of things to think about during this time.”
“It’s not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it’s complicated to keep going and it’s complicated to keep winning,” he added.
Scaloni took over as manager in 2018 and has had tremendous success. The 45-year-old led Argentina to the Copa America title in 2021. He played a key role in Argentina’s third World Cup victory in Qatar.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, remains optimistic that Scaloni will remain in his position. Messi, like the rest of the team, wants Scaloni to stay as manager and build on their recent victories.
Their defender Cristian Romero said: “We are sure and hope that Scaloni will continue,” the Argentina defender told reporters, according to Reuters. “Let’s see now he will have time to think, he didn’t say anything in the dressing room about it. We will try to convince him.”
