Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni (44) will lead the team until 2026.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) officially announced on the 28th (Korean time) that “Scaloni’s contract has been extended until 2026.”
Scaloni has been labeled a ‘newbie director’. As a 44-year-old young leader, he served as head coach for Sevilla and the Argentina national team, and was appointed official manager of Argentina in 2018. His first glance was, of course, unflattering.
He got off to a bad start. He failed to win the 2019 Copa America, finishing third. There was a feeling that it was too much to pass through the group stage in the tournament.
However, the flower path has continued since then. Coach Scaloni gradually began to put his own color on the team and found the ‘save Lionel Messi’ where other coaches failed. As a result, he reached the top in the 2021 Copa America and succeeded in recapturing the trophy after a long time since 1993. It was also Messi’s national team’s first major championship victory. Above all, he was praised for his flexible tactical operation. Coach Scaloni changed the starting lineup every game and put effort into arranging the players’ stamina. The result is ‘Undefeated Victory’. 스포츠토토
The glory continued. They won last year’s Finalisima (a competition between Euro and Copa America winners) by beating Italy 3-0. In addition, he sat on the throne at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The World Cup in Qatar also attracted attention as Messi’s ‘last dance’, and coach Scaloni helped complete it.
After the tournament, negotiations between the AFA and manager Scaloni for renewal of the contract took place. Previously, in December of last year, Gaston Edul of Argentina’s ‘TyC Sports’ explained, “Coach Scaloni verbally agreed to renew the contract with the Argentine national team. Part of the negotiations remain, and additional talks are planned.”
AFA President Claudio Tapia also announced, “There is no doubt that Scaloni will continue to coach Argentina. He is traveling and will finalize negotiations upon his return.”
As time passed, he stamped. With coach Scaloni guaranteed until 2026, he will also be able to direct the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.