EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After watching his 10-man side come up just short of becoming the first back-to-back World Cup winners since 1958-62, a tearful Lionel Scaloni admitted he’s unsure what lies ahead.
The 48-year-old was appointed manager after Argentina crashed out of the 2018 World Cup in the round of 16 amid skepticism about his lack of head coaching experience and only brief time as an assistant.
If he does move on after his contract expires in December, he will leave the post as the most decorated manager in program history. Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup final followed a run to the title in the 2022 tournament, and he also guided Argentina to the Copa America crown in 2021 and 2024.
“I will talk to the president” of the federation, Scaloni said through an interpreter. “I have an idea of what I would like to do. I will see out my contract, and I feel the need to think, as I don’t know if something as big can be done (again) and maybe we need to speak this through.
“I am thankful to the president for bringing me this chance of being in this place where I am at. At the moment, it was a dream place for everyone. And we’ve tried up until the very last minute to give our utmost, the staff, the players. And I believe it’s only fair that I can take this time for myself to think this through.”
Scaloni is only the second Argentine manager to reach consecutive World Cup finals and only the fifth of any nationality. Carlos Bilardo guided the Albiceleste to the 1986 title and the 1990 final, but did not match Scaloni’s Copa America feats.
Should Scaloni continue, it would likely be with a group that looks considerably different than the one he has managed for nearly a decade.
Lionel Messi is 39 years old, and while he still had an exceptional tournament with eight goals and four assists, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s participation in 2030 feels extremely unlikely.
In total, eight Argentina players started both the 2022 and 2026 finals, and it’s almost certain there will be considerable turnover beyond just their most famous star.
“I would have never imagined, we would have never imagined, including my staff, that we would be in this place,” Scaloni said through tears. “So in order to continue, you need a great deal of things, especially resetting your mind, rebooting. Creating a group like this again, that is very difficult, that you can create again. And it’s really painful. I am very sorry.”
At that point, Scaloni exited to his right to end his press conference to thunderous applause from assembled press.
Earlier in his remarks, Scaloni said he could have no complaints with the result of the final, which Spain dominated in possession and shots but won by the slim margin of Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute winner.
“We feel extremely grateful to all our fans, all those people who transmitted us that energy that we were lacking,” Scaloni said. “We managed to go all the way to the end when the match was so open, and it just couldn’t be in the end. They deserved the victory. That’s reality. We need to accept it. But we were close, to be honest. I would like to thank my players (and) everyone who’s helped us greatly to reach another World Cup final.”
A product of Newell’s Old Boys, the same team Messi played for in his childhood, Scaloni played for two decades across Argentina, Spain, Italy and briefly England.
But the right-sided midfielder and defender made only seven appearances for the senior national team. His best moment for the Albiceleste came when he started and played all of their 2-1 victory over Mexico in the World Cup round of 16 in 2006.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
