Lionel Scaloni opened up about his decision to bench Lionel Messi in the final game of the Group Stage against Jordan and the selfless mentality of the veteran. The Argentina Head Coach claimed that Messi could have added to his legend with a couple more goals but he decided to give playing time to the rest of his teammates. Scaloni clarified that the Argentina icon doesn’t think about any of the records that people or media talk about. However, Lionel Messi did come on as a substitute in the second half of the game and he scored a brilliant free-kick around the wall of Jordan.

“Messi could have played the full game yesterday and added even more to his legend… but he chose to let his teammates get playing time; He doesn’t think about the records people talk about, that says everything about what Argentina means to him,” stated Lionel Scaloni regarding his decision to bench Lionel Messi against Jordan. Argentina won the game against Jordan with a scoreline of 3-1 and they finished on top of Group J with a massive difference of 5 points with the runners-up. The defending champions are leading a fierce charge at the 2026 FIFA World Cup title and they would be a tough opposition to beat for any side.

Messi’s dominant form powers Argentina into the knockouts

Lionel Messi has been in the form of his life in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with some memorable moments in every game that he played in the Group Stage. He started proceedings with a hat-trick against Algeria and that was the most terrific way to announce himself on the big stage. Then later on in the game against Austria, Messi missed a penalty from the spot but made amends for the penalty miss with two brilliant goals. In the final game against Jordan, he played just a few minutes but immediately made an impact with a fabulous free-kick. The Argentina forward currently holds the record for the highest goal-scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Argentina would have a fairly less competitive couple of matches in the initial stages of the knockout round. They will take on Cape Verde in the Round of 32 and they will go in as the heavy favourites to win the clash. If Argentina wins against Cape Verde, then they will have to face the winner of the Round of 32 clash between Egypt and New Zealand. Lionel Scaloni would be wise in his team selection as he doesn’t need to exhaust his players in the initial matches. The decision to bench Lionel Messi was a tactical move to ensure that he remains afresh in the most important games of the tournament.

The defending champions would be the team to beat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they have been absolutely flawless until now. The form of Lionel Messi has been their biggest positive by far and that would be enough for Argentina to defend their crown in North America. Argentina’s next fixture will be the Round of 32 clash against Cape Verde on Saturday