With the hangover of ten days of great celebrations and thick emotions, The squad of the Argentine National Team began the return to Europe to rejoin their clubs and play the dates of the next weekend. The reunion of the coaching staff that leads Lionel Scaloni with the world champions he captains Lionel Messi It will only happen in three months. The next window of international friendlies will take place between June 12 and 25 and on those dates, it is likely that two parties will be assembled in Asia. For now, Bangladesh (192nd place in the FIFA ranking) and China (80th in the same ranking) appear as potential opponents although it could also be played against more qualified teams such as Japan and South Korea. Nothing is closed yet.
In September the South American Qualifiers will begin towards the 2026 tripartite World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Ecuador in the Monumental stadium and Bolivia in the Olympic stadium in La Paz They will be the first milestones on that path. AND It is a fact that Messi will visit it again for the sixth time in his career. What is not so certain is that he will play in the World Cup.
From his hermetic family environment, no indication has emerged regarding what his position is. Something is clear and that is It will be Messi and no one but Messi who has the last word on the matter, depending on what your physique, your head and your will dictate. He will arrive at the World Cup at the age of 39a footballing age advanced even though he is the all-time top scorer for the Argentine National Team and a supercrack who also leads an orderly life without disorder.
Scaloni and his coaching staff will closely follow what is happening with Messi, who should also renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain before June or not. But neither can they neglect the evolution of the rest of the squad. The future has already arrived in Qatar and players like Emiliano “Drawing” Martinez (30 years), Nahuel Molina (24), Christian Romero (24), Lisandro Martinez (25), Juan Foyth (25), Enzo Fernandez (22), Alexis Mac Allister (24), Nicholas Gonzalez (24), exequiel palacios (24), Julian Alvarez (23) y Thiago Almada (21) a priori will star in the new stage that will open from September.
others like Nicolas Tagliafico (30), Leandro Paredes (28), Rodrigo DePaul (28), Young Lo Celso (27), Lautaro Martinez (25), Gonzalo Montiel (26), Angel Correa (28), Joaquin Correa (28), John Simeon (27) y Paulo Dybala (29) It is possible that they arrive by age. But they will depend on the club and the country where they are playing in the six months before the World Cup. Instead, it will be more difficult to play the World Cup for Messi (35), angel di maria (35), Nicholas Otamendi (35), Marcos Acuna (31), German Pezzella (31), Alejandro “Papu” Gomez (35) and the goalkeeper Frank Armani (36). For many of them, the 2024 Copa América in the United States, or the end of the Qualifiers in November 2025 could mean the great farewell to the National Team. But they are pure speculation.
The base is there, but it will need to be aired. And there appear the new names that will have to be followed. Alejandro Garnacho (18 years old) will be taken into account in the next calls because this is what his current situation at Manchester United dictates and also the need to shield him from the possibility of him playing for the Spanish team, his native country. Scaloni’s idea is to tan him in the Qualifiers and the Copa América so that he arrives seasoned for the World Cup.
Although they did not have minutes against Panama and Curaçao, Valentin Carboni (18 years), Maximo Perrone (20), Facundo Good night (18), lautaro white (24) y Emiliano Buendia (26) are within range of Scaloni’s radar and are part of the replacement. And it should not be ruled out that the silent and efficient work of Juan Martín Tassi in the search for international talents may deliver some surprise: more than 150 juveniles with Argentine roots are being followed all over the world. Perhaps one of them can reach the National Team in some section of the road that will soon be covered again.
