Lionel Scaloni is a legend of the game as far as the national team is concerned. He is the man who led Argentina to their first World Cup title since 1986. Scaloni had worked his way up to the senior team, having started as an assistant manager before taking up the helm of the senior team in 2020, leading Argentina to a Copa America victory in 2021.
Another title, the best of all, a year later cemented his place as a national hero, and despite his status, the manager gave a shocking interview yesterday where he revealed he may be considering his future as the manager of the senior team. What could that possibly mean? Could Lionel Scaloni be stepping down as Argentina manager?
Is Lionel Scaloni resigning?
Brazil suffered their first home loss in a World Cup qualifying game, and the man who led Argentina to that historic win over the Samba Boys is now considering his future as the manager of the senior team.
Lionel Scaloni is loved in Argentina. The former Lazio midfielder continues to steer Argentina in the right direction following their triumph at the last World Cup in Qatar last year. Despite only losing once since the World Cup, the manager hinted yesterday that he could quit his post.
“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,” Scaloni said.
“It’s not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high, and it’s complicated to keep going. It’s complicated to keep winning,” he added.
Lionel Scaloni took charge of the senior team in 2018 to provide a balance after a few years of inconsistency from the AFA. He has since led Argentina to two major trophies – the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina players talk on Scaloni’s potential departure
Scaloni’s decision to hint at a potential departure after a historic win over Brazil remains a mystery to many, including some of his players. Despite this hint, most of them strongly believe the manager will stay on and continue to lead them to more success in the near future.
“We received the information like you,” the match winner, Nicolas Otamendi, said. “We will try to talk about it and see what is happening. He did not talk to us because there were many boys who had not entered the locker room, and we were not all together. We will surely have a conversation later,” the former City defender revealed.
Tottenham defender Romero also spoke about Scaloni’s potential departure. “We are sure and hope that Scaloni will continue. Let’s see now he will have time to think. He didn’t say anything in the locker room about that. We will try to convince him. For me, he will continue; let’s see,” he said.
Scaloni signed a new contract earlier this year after the World Cup, which makes his potential departure even more shocking.
Argentina will still be reeling from that historic win over Brazil, although violent scenes on and off the pitch overshadowed the victory.
Will Lionel Scaloni stay on as Argentina’s manager?
