At the age of 37, Messi was uncertain about his chances of playing in the 2026 World Cup. However, after the victory over Bolivia on October 16, in a role “tailored” for him by coach Scaloni, the star shone brightly with a hat-trick and two assists. Messi confirmed for the first time: “The upcoming World Cup will be my last World Cup. I will definitely stay!”
The departure of veteran star Angel Di Maria and Messi’s injury since the Copa America (mid-July) have left a big gap in the Argentina team’s playing tactics. Coach Scaloni has the flexibility to change to a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 tactic, with the key striker pair being Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez. However, the “Albiceleste” still shows uncertainty. They still achieve good results without Messi or Di Maria, but in the long run it is a team that plays without variation due to the lack of Messi’s “magic”, while Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez do not maintain stability. There was a time when Mr. Scaloni needed the return of Paulo Dybala to create more highlights in the playing style. The 1-2 loss to Colombia on September 11 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers exposed all the problems of the Argentina team.
When Messi returns, coach Scaloni’s use of the old style of play with two strikers (as applied at the Copa America), with Messi playing with Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez, is no longer feasible. The 1-1 draw with Venezuela on October 11 also demonstrated that. The problem is that Messi’s ability to work at high intensity and across the field at his current age will certainly overload the famous player.
Mr. Scaloni therefore made a very noticeable change, but caused many questions for the Argentine media, when he returned to the 4-3-3 formation with Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez on the field. This was the tactic that the Argentine team often used in matches in 2019 when striker Sergio Aguero was still there. But now with Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez, creating harmony with Messi is a huge challenge. Coach Scaloni has tried many times but has not been successful.
Scaloni, however, did make a change in his tactics, playing Messi in a slightly deeper position behind Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez, giving Messi the time and space to make his impact on the game, and he did.
A hat-trick and two assists for Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez in the win over Bolivia showed that Messi in his new role played with more enthusiasm and ease than before. He even played energetically until the end of the match, leading stars who had just debuted for the national team like Nico Paz (20 years old) to shine in time (with one assist), or midfielder from the U.23 team, Thiago Almada, who had just returned to the national team and scored immediately.
Messi’s performance in his new role earned him a 10 rating from SofaScore. Messi has scored 112 goals for Argentina and has a total of 57 assists, taking his career tally to 846.
These numbers will not stop, Messi and the Argentina team are also aiming for the 2026 World Cup. That is certain, no longer a doubt as before.
