BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina has bitter memories of 1994, the last time the United States hosted the World Cup.
National symbol after the second match of the group stage Diego Maradona He was expelled from the tournament after testing positive for doping. Maradona never played again in the World Cup, and Argentina were eliminated in the last 16.
Thirty-two years later, the South American powerhouse is hoping for a happier ending for Maradona’s successor. lionel messiHe, who turns 39 this month, is widely expected to retire from international soccer after the curtain falls on the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host with Mexico and Canada.
If he and Argentina can retain the World Cup trophy they won in Qatar four years ago, they will become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1962. It will also strengthen the case of those who already call Messi the greatest player of all time.
“I love playing soccer and I will do it until I can’t anymore,” Messi told Argentine broadcast journalist Joaquín “Polo” Alvarez in a YouTube interview. “I’m a competitive person and I like to win at everything. Sometimes I don’t let my kids win at video games. That’s my nature and it’s what inspired me to achieve everything I have.”
Messi’s body is showing signs of deterioration after playing for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami for more than 20 years. A week before his record sixth World Cup, he is recovering from a hamstring problem that forced him to be substituted in Inter Miami’s final pre-tournament game on May 24.
The Argentina captain trained on his own this week at the team’s base camp in Kansas City.
“Everyone hoped that Messi would arrive without any problems, but that’s not the case. Not only him, but most of the players have not yet fully recovered,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni told Latin American television station D Sport.
Multiple players in the squad facing fitness concerns
goalkeeper Emiliano Martinezthe hero of two penalty shootouts, including the 2022 final against France, broke his right ring finger during the match. europa league final When I was playing for Aston Villa.
Defender Cristian “Cuti” Romero is recovering from a knee injury sustained in mid-April while playing for Tottenham. Right-backs Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are suffering from muscular injuries, as is midfielder Leandro Paredes.
Argentina, who were also champions in 1978 and 1986, will play their first group stage game against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16th. The next games in Group J will be against Austria on June 22nd and Jordan on June 27th in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas.
Scaloni is counting on 17 of the 26 players who won the 2022 World Cup, but several are not in their best form.
“Why change them if they don’t deserve it? We were always honest with them. The players who are here today showed us that they want to be here. And secondly, their level has not dropped,” said Scaloni.
Argentina won the 2024 Copa America and finished first in the South American World Cup qualifying group.
Atletico Madrid forward Julián Álvarez will be key to Scaloni’s attack, while Barcelona, Arsenal and PSG are reportedly in contention to sign him next season. The manager also brought in three debutants: midfielder Valentin Barco, who recently signed for Chelsea, forward Nicolas Paz, a key player from Italian side Como, and top scorer Juan Manuel López from Brazilian club Palmeiras.
A notable absence compared to four years ago is Angel Di Maria, who retired from the national team in 2024. In addition to Messi, he contributed to Argentina’s success in Qatar.
“It is impossible to replace Di Maria. He and Messi are irreplaceable,” Scaloni said.
It’s hard to imagine a future without Messi
Messi has always been soft-spoken, trying to dampen expectations for another World Cup title.
“We have to be excited, as Argentines always are, but we also have to know that there are better favorites ahead of us,” he said.
Messi already holds the record for most World Cup appearances (26 goals) and needs four more goals to surpass Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s record for most World Cup goals with 16.
Although he has not explicitly stated that he will retire from the national team after the World Cup, he did drop a big hint last September when he spoke about Argentina’s last home game for the national team, a qualifying match against Venezuela in Buenos Aires.
“I was very emotional knowing this was going to be my last game here,” he said after the game at Monumental Stadium. “I’ve experienced a lot in this stadium. There have been some great moments and some difficult moments, but it’s always special to play in front of the fans.”
Scaloni, like most Argentines, gets emotional when thinking about the national team without Messi.
“I would like to think that he will continue to play, because if he doesn’t it will be sad, like what happened with Diego (Maradona),” Scaloni said in an interview published on CONMEBOL, the South American soccer federation’s website. “These are players who have made history in the world of football, and it’s not safe to think that they won’t be playing anymore. I prefer to think about the present.”
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