Lionel Scaloni has revealed the message Lionel Messi sent him before Argentina’s World Cup squad was confirmed.
The Argentina manager spoke ahead of Argentina’s friendly against Honduras in Texas and explained how the call-up process unfolded with his captain.
Messi’s response stood out because he chose to wait for the official squad list rather than make a separate announcement before the decision was public.
What Lionel Messi told Lionel Scaloni before Argentina squad decision
Scaloni said he sent Messi a message before the final squad was made public, and the Argentina captain told him he would simply wait for the list.
“I simply sent him a message and he told me he was going to wait for the list to see if he had been called up. And I told him: ‘You’re called up’,” Scaloni said.
The manager added that everyone expected Messi to make an announcement, but the forward chose to wait like any other player.
“We all expected him to make an announcement and in the end he did what any player does: wait for the coach to call him up,” Scaloni said.
Scaloni said that gave him enormous peace of mind, because Messi had made clear he was not going to handle the decision separately.
“That gave me enormous peace of mind when he told me he was not going to make any announcement and was going to wait for the list,” Scaloni added.
Messi’s place in the squad was a major talking point as Argentina prepared to defend the World Cup title they won in Qatar. FIFA lists Argentina as the reigning world champions.
Why Argentina did not call players before announcing the squad
Scaloni also addressed why Argentina chose not to inform players individually before the squad list was published.
He explained that the staff had already decided not to call the players who missed out, because many of them had given a lot during the process and there was little that could be said to soften the disappointment.
“We had already decided not to call the players who were not going to be there. Many of those lads have given us a lot and nothing we could say would really make sense to any of them,” Scaloni said.
Scaloni described that feeling as “horrible” and said members of the coaching staff had been through similar moments in their own careers.
“All of us on the coaching staff have been in a similar situation and it is a horrible feeling,” he added.
The Argentina manager said those players would always remain close to the staff, but added that the good of the team had to come first when difficult decisions were made.
The comments underlined the contrast within Argentina’s selection process. Messi quietly waited for the decision without fanfare, while Scaloni admitted the wider squad calls were painful but necessary.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
