The Coach Who Almost Never Coached — and Could Lead Argentina to Back-to-Back World Titles
From two passes to Messi in 2005 to a World Cup final. The unlikely story of Scaloni and Argentina's shot at the 2026 title.
Two passes. That was all Lionel Scaloni gave Lionel Messi during the superstar's disastrous Argentina debut in Budapest in 2005 — the match in which Messi was sent off just 45 seconds after coming on. Nobody could have imagined that fleeting contact would be the seed of one of football's most unlikely partnerships.
A year later, at the 2006 World Cup, Messi scored against Serbia and Montenegro and became the youngest player ever to appear for Argentina at a World Cup — aged 18 years and 357 days. In the tunnel after the goal, the first person to sprint over and embrace him from behind was Scaloni. According to The Guardian, Messi has said that the then full-back was one of the first squad members to truly make him feel welcome.
The former West Ham defender is only nine years older than Messi, yet the relationship always carried something paternal about it. And it was precisely that trust, built up over years, that Scaloni — when he took charge of the national team almost by accident — knew how to turn into fuel.
Now Argentina stands on the brink of something only two countries have ever achieved: defending a World Cup title. The Golmetria model gives Argentina a 23.61% chance of lifting the trophy — the second-highest percentage of any team in the tournament.
Scaloni's story is one of improbability. He arrived in the job without a plan, without the CV of a great manager, without the glamour Argentina usually demands. He stayed. He built. And today he is one trophy away from writing his name into history forever.
The 2026 World Cup could be Messi's final chapter at the tournament — and Scaloni, the man of two passes, wants to make sure that chapter ends in the best way possible.