Coach Scaloni speaks out about Messi's role at the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi is expected to continue leading the Argentine national team in their quest to defend their World Cup title in 2026. The defending champions will begin their campaign with a clash against Algeria at 8:00 AM on June 17th (Vietnam time) in Group J.
The 38-year-old superstar, currently playing for Inter Miami, is preparing to participate in his sixth World Cup. Four years ago in Qatar, Messi played a central role in Argentina's championship victory, winning the World Cup Golden Ball thanks to his outstanding performances.
Messi plays in Argentina's friendly match against Iceland ahead of the 2026 World Cup (Photo: Getty).
Despite his age, Messi still enjoys the absolute trust of coach Lionel Scaloni and his teammates. Defender Nicolas Otamendi affirmed that the competitive spirit and desire to win of the Argentine captain remain undiminished.
"He's a very competitive person. Messi always pushes everyone forward and doesn't allow anyone to relax," Otamendi shared in the pre-match press conference. The veteran defender also emphasized Messi's influence in the dressing room: "We cherish every moment we get to play alongside him. Messi is very humble, always sociable, and enjoys training and socializing with the whole team."
For his part, coach Scaloni believes Messi will continue to play a particularly important role in this year's World Cup campaign. "Everyone wants to see Messi play, not just Argentinians but football fans all over the world . He has always played a crucial role for the team and now that is even more necessary. Messi is in excellent physical condition," the 48-year-old strategist said.
Argentina is in Group J along with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Although considered the stronger team, coach Scaloni believes his team cannot afford to be complacent, especially after the surprises that have occurred since the beginning of the tournament.
World press predicts the score of the Argentina vs. Algeria match.
The English newspaper Sport Mole commented: “In the past, only Italy and Brazil have successfully defended their World Cup title. Now, Argentina has a great opportunity to do so. La Albiceleste impressed greatly in the South American World Cup qualifiers, finishing top with 38 points. Messi was also the top scorer in the tournament with 8 goals.”
Prior to the 2026 World Cup, Argentina only faced weak opponents such as Mauritania, Iceland, and Puerto Rico. They are in good form, having won 7 consecutive matches, scoring 21 goals and conceding only 1. The last time Argentina failed to score in their first World Cup match was in 1990, when they lost 0-1 to Cameroon.
Algeria is expected to pose a challenge for Argentina (Photo: Getty).
Algeria is ranked 28th in the FIFA rankings, 27 places behind Argentina. This is their first World Cup appearance since 2014. In their 13 previous World Cup matches, Algeria has only won 3 and kept 1 clean sheet. Although they only reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), coach Vladimir Petkovic's team still shows promising prospects. Ahead of the tournament, Algeria impressed with wins against the Netherlands and Bolivia. They have conceded only 2 goals in their last 6 matches.
Predicting the match, Sport Mole wrote: “This will not be an easy start for the defending champions. Argentina's toughest match in the group stage could be the opening game. It is likely that the Tango team will only win by a narrow margin.”
Sport Mole predicts Argentina will win 1-0 against Algeria.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/messi-lap-hat-trick-argentina-dai-thang-algeria-20260617073701154.htm
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