Lionel Scaloni | Argentina’s thinking manager

Lionel Scaloni.
| Photo Credit: Illustration: R. Rajesh

When Gonzalo Montiel took the final penalty kick against France in the FIFA World Cup final last Sunday at Doha, Lionel Messi, Argentina’s captain, sunk to his knees celebrating.

His team had finally become the World Champion in a post-Diego Maradona era, a wait of 36 long years. Another Lionel, in the Argentina camp, broke down in tears, making a failed attempt to hold them back until he was hugged by Leandro Paredes.

Lionel Scaloni is not a head coach who has the aura or reputation of high-profile coaches like Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa, or even Diego Maradona. But steering his way from playing second fiddle to the coach vested with hopes of winning the World Cup to finally winning it in 2022, the 44-year-old is a study of humility, hardwork and patience.

Messi’s former teammate has not just assured the legend of a successful return to the national side from retirement but has helped La Albiceleste master the art of performing in high-pressure situations. Beating five-time World Champion and arch-rival Brazil in its own backyard in the Copa America 2021 final, winning the Finalissima (a match against European Champion Italy) and pipping the defending World Champion in Qatar, La Scalonetta (Scaloni’s men) have done it all.

In 2018, Jorge Sampaoli, Argentina’s head coach, was relieved of his services after a 3-4 loss to France in the round of 16. Scaloni — a man with no prior experience of managing a national team — was made the caretaker manager, instead. Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) and Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur) were some of the frontrunners for the post, but Scaloni was assigned the full-time position in 2018. “He had just seven caps, recently turned 40 and no experience… How can you give the national team to Scaloni?” an enraged Maradona, the last captain to bring the World Cup home, had complained then.

That has not aged well.

Scaloni had started playing with local side Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based youth academy and football club, which now boasts of having both him and Messi as their products. He also had spells with Mallorca, Racing Santander in Spain, Estudiantes in Argentina and Lazio in Italy. Scaloni and Messi’s on-field meeting mid-game came at a friendly match between Argentina and Hungary — one that was the debut match for the former Barcelona forward.

Messi, coming on for Lisandro Lopez just after the hour mark, saw the forward being sent off within 40 seconds, forcing vehement remonstrations from an enraged Scaloni.

Learning from mistakes

One of the biggest qualities of the Santa Fe-born Argentine has been his quick decision-making. Scaloni’s enhancement on the national side, both in terms of selection and strategy, has made the team a serial winner. Argentina found solace in Emiliano Martinez whom Scaloni introduced in 2021.

His heroics won the match against Colombia in the Copa America 2021 and also against France in the World Cup final, with the 30-year-old winning the Golden Glove in both tournaments. Scaloni’s strategy involves quick attacks against the run of play, as opposed to small passes to build up an attack — something that saw Argentina score some crucial goals in the World Cup, including the second goal by Julian Alvarez against Croatia.

In attack, Scaloni has overseen the rise of two strikers, Lautaro Martinez and Alvarez. Lautaro’s failure to find the net and affinity to get trapped off-side saw him change his cards on deck, as Alvarez replaced him in the starting XI after the first match — a shock loss to Saudi Arabia. Messi, too, has become more of a pivotal No. 10 who drops deep if needed and starts the counterattack when the least of chances arrives.

In 2006, Argentina lost to Germany on penalties in the quarterfinals. Scaloni, a player then, could only watch. Sixteen years later, the same team beat the defending champion, France, to win its third World Cup. Unlike the 2014 World Cup or the 2015 Copa America, La Albiceleste no longer chokes in penalties or finals. That, for Scaloni, would be his biggest achievement.