All posts tagged: lionel scaloni

Emi Martinez contemplates on ‘if it’s time to step aside’ after defeat to Spain

Emi Martinez contemplates on ‘if it’s time to step aside’ after defeat to Spain

Published by Webster

2 min readJul 21, 2026 09:44 PM IST Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez posted on Instagram a couple of days after the side’s loss to Spain in the World Cup final, saying he is considering if it’s the time to step aside from international football. “I dreamt we’d win it again, I dreamt of bringing it back to Argentina and making history once more.The truth is, the pain is hard to explain. There are many things to reflect on and how to move forward, and if it’s time to step aside. I’m so sorry, I truly tried my best to help my country and my teammates,” Martinez said. Martinez is known more for producing a performance of lifetime in the 2022 World Cup final, getting the better of elite strikers in psychological battles during penalty kicks, and turning out to be a showman in crucial moments. Out of the 11 saves he made against Spain on Sunday, a few were routine but Martinez’s celebrations and theatrics made every one of them eye-catching. Martinez, a vital element …

Emotional Scaloni on Argentina coaching future

Emotional Scaloni on Argentina coaching future

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 20, 2026 02:10 PM IST Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni was overcome by emotion and broke down in tears after his side’s 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday. Scaloni’s men were on the verge of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win successive World Cups, but Luis de la Fuente’s Spain proved too much for La Albiceleste, with Ferran Torres’s extra-time strike stunning Scaloni’s men. ALSO READ | Sun sets on World Cup football’s greatest career as Messi tears drown out final The contract of the 48-year old with Argentine Football Association (AFA) runs until December and when he was asked about his future with the team during the press conference, Scaloni said: “I will talk to the president. I have an idea of what I would like to do. I will see out my contract and I feel the need… I don’t know if something as big can be done. We need to speak this through.” “I am thankful to the president …

The World Cup is over. Spain’s coaching revolution isn’t

The World Cup is over. Spain’s coaching revolution isn’t

Published by Webster

“The coach,” Johan Cruyff liked to say, “is the most important player in the team.” Nearly three decades after he transformed Spanish football, the 2026 World Cup felt like the ultimate vindication of that philosophy. Spain reached the final under Luis de la Fuente. Standing opposite him was Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni – an Argentine who earned his UEFA Pro Licence through the Spanish coaching system. De la Fuente, quite fittingly, had even been one of Scaloni’s instructors. ALSO READ | Ferran Torres extra-time strike dethrones Argentina; Spain crowned champions The subplot of the final was teacher versus student. Yet, that was only the latest exhibit in Spanish football’s extraordinary coaching revolution. Just weeks before the World Cup kicked off, the Champions League final had featured two Spanish coaches – Mikel Arteta and Luis Enrique. Unai Emery had won the Europa League. In England, Arteta’s Arsenal finished ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Luis Enrique had already guided Paris Saint-Germain to another Ligue 1 title. Look around the world’s biggest leagues and competitions, and Spanish coaches …

Scaloni on Messi’s Argentina future after World Cup final

Scaloni on Messi’s Argentina future after World Cup final

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 18, 2026 11:19 AM IST The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina may well prove to be the last outing for Lionel Messi in the blue and white stripes of the national side. Messi, 39, fulfilled his World Cup dream by lifting the trophy in Qatar 2022, and eyes further chapters of history during a record-equalling third World Cup final appearance. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni responded to questions regarding Messi’s future with the national team post Sunday’s final, insisting that the best man to provide an answer for their talismanic skipper himself. ALSO READ | Scaloni criticises FIFA for forcing Argentina into ‘strange’ World Cup final training Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Scaloni, while speaking to the media, were both asked about the legacy of Messi and what he must be feeling at the moment, as they have been all tournament. “Ask Leo,” said Scaloni – before acknowledging the importance of this final. Before the start of this World Cup, the expectations regarding Argentina reaching the finals again were considered by …

Cocaine, pistols and a World Cup final: Who is Slavko Vincic?

Cocaine, pistols and a World Cup final: Who is Slavko Vincic?

Published by Webster

On Sunday, Slavko Vincic will referee the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. It will be the last match of his career. Vincic very nearly never got here at all, and not for any reason to do with a football pitch. On the night of 30 May 2020, police raided a farm outside Bijeljina, in Bosnia, as part of an operation against an alleged prostitution and drug-trafficking ring. They detained 35 people. Among them was Vincic, who says he had travelled to the town on business and accepted what he understood to be a lunch invitation. “I found myself on this ranch by chance,” he told Slovenian television afterwards. “I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I have nothing to do with the group that was arrested and detained, nor do my business partners.” Police seized cocaine, ten pistols, body armour, and more than ten thousand euros in cash. A year later Tijana Maksimovic, identified by investigators as the operation’s organiser, pleaded guilty to a charge of …

How Lionel Scaloni engineered another Argentine remontada

How Lionel Scaloni engineered another Argentine remontada

Published by Webster

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled off was convincing the world he didn’t exist. There is a touch of Keyser Söze about Lionel Scaloni. There is a reason why Luis de la Fuente’s positional organisation, Thomas Tuchel’s strategic detail and Didier Deschamps’ attacking framework have all been analysed, to the minutest of details. Yet, no manager at this World Cup has slipped through tactical scrutiny quite like Argentina’s. For every time Scaloni has been asked to explain an Argentine remontada, his answer has been the same: it is inexplicable, he does not understand it either. Wednesday’s semifinal against England was another case in point. Argentina overturned a deficit — only the second comeback in a World Cup semifinal this century — to win 2-1. Asked how his team did it, Scaloni offered only a smile. “I am surprised. This group never ceases to surprise me. It’s very difficult to get people to understand what the players are doing. My understanding is that when we face adversity, when we smell blood, that’s when we play …

Who are the referees for Argentina vs Switzerland World Cup quarter-final?

Who are the referees for Argentina vs Switzerland World Cup quarter-final?

Published by Webster

5 min readJul 11, 2026 10:00 PM IST Argentina vs Switzerland, FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final: Defending champions Argentina are set to take on a highly defensive unit in the form of Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kansas City Stadium on Saturday night. It has been confirmed by FIFA that Portuguese official João Pinheiro will take charge of the match, a decision that hasn’t sat well with the Argentine fans because of the referee’s controversial history in major international competitions. ALSO READ | World Cup 2026: Why substitutes keep deciding matches in the final 20 minutes Argentina enter the contest on the back of a sensational 3-2 comeback win against Egypt in the Round of 16. Being 2-0 down till the 78th minute, goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez within a space of 14 minutes secured Argentina’s place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Switzerland defeated Colombia on penalties (4-3) to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1954. The officials selected by FIFA …

When was last meeting between Argentina and Egypt?

When was last meeting between Argentina and Egypt?

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 7, 2026 05:39 PM IST Defending champions Argentina will take on seven-time Africa Cup of Nations winners Egypt in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday. Coming off a nervy 3-2 win over inspirational debutants Cape Verde in the Round of 32, the South Americans face a tough test against a determined Egyptian side led by skipper and talisman Mohamed Salah. Egypt booked their place in the Round of 16 for the first time after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a highly competitive 1-1 draw. Before their highly anticipated first-ever World Cup meeting, the two sides have previously met only twice at international level, with both contests going in Argentina’s favour. Their most recent encounter came in a friendly in 2008. The game was played on March 26 at Cairo International Stadium in the Nasr City district of eastern Cairo. The match attracted a crowd of approximately 45,000 fans, as Alfio Basile’s Argentina entered as the top-ranked FIFA team, while Egypt came …

How Lionel Scaloni built an Argentina side that can thrive without Lionel Messi

How Lionel Scaloni built an Argentina side that can thrive without Lionel Messi

Published by Webster

The perfect 45 minutes. And it came with the best player in the world sitting on the bench. Argentina unleashed the full scope of their powers against current Asian Cup finalists Jordan – sitting nine of their starting eleven, including an ageless, six-goals-and-counting Lionel Messi – and still provided a distilled Argentine footballing experience championed by Lionel Scaloni. In ways this team is more like the last Scaloni was a part of as a player and the first Messi entered into. Eerily reminiscent of the Argentina of 2006, he has fashioned a group that acts as an intense cluster of neural networks in the middle of a park, all lighting up at individual moments, each learning and moving at the whims of their peers. ALSO READ | Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Haaland: A golden boot race unlike any other Jose Pekerman’s 2006 Argentina had its faults. But a 52-second, 25-pass goal finished by Esteban Cambiasso, to this day, ranks as one of Argentina’s great World Cup moments. That team lost to Germany on penalties in the Round …