In Córdoba, where the sierras sit beyond the floodlights of the Mario Kempes Stadium, Argentina are preparing for a night that once seemed impossible to picture: a senior international without Lionel Messi. Bolivia are the visitors for Thursday’s friendly, kicking off at 2am in Spain, and the occasion begins the Albiceleste’s adjustment to life beyond their long-serving captain and defining player.
Messi cannot simply be replaced, Lionel Scaloni has acknowledged, but Argentina intend to adapt rather than imitate him. “He is indispensable,” the coach said, while noting that the side had found answers in matches he missed. Scaloni suggested several possible shapes, from two or three forwards to a three-man defence, as the world champions seek a different route through games.
Cristian Romero will wear the captain’s armband in Córdoba. Nico Paz is expected to take on a prominent creative responsibility, though his shirt number remains unresolved. Scaloni said nobody would be handed the No. 10 before Messi’s international farewell. After that match, the number will not automatically be permanently assigned for the qualifiers, although the plan is eventually for one player to make it his own.
A revised spine for the champions
Argentina could begin their new chapter with Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez together in a two-striker attack, offering both men a chance to establish themselves as regular starters. The midfield will also have a changed look. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso have not been selected by Scaloni, while Enzo Fernández and Leandro Paredes are unavailable through suspension.
That opens places for Exequiel Palacios and Valentín Barco. On the right of the defence, Agustín Giay is set for an opportunity because Nahuel Molina is suspended and Gonzalo Montiel was left out of the squad. Lisandro Martínez, meanwhile, is already the established successor to Nicolás Otamendi, another senior figure who has stepped away from the national side.
Scaloni’s own future appears to be moving towards continuity. The Argentina coach said he had decided to remain and that both parties were willing to continue talks. “The idea is to renew because there is material,” he said, pointing to the depth available as a new cycle takes shape.
The last gathering with Messi
After Bolivia, Argentina will return to Buenos Aires for Saturday’s match against Burkina Faso at the Monumental. The same stadium will then host Messi’s farewell in front of Argentina supporters next Tuesday, when Benin provide the opposition.
The choice of a relatively modest opponent will do little to define the emotion of the evening. The fixture itself is likely to be secondary to a final home salute for Messi, whose departure leaves Scaloni, his players and an entire football country facing the unfamiliar task of carrying on without him.
