“In Messi’s case it’s completely different. He always plays with us. I think sometimes he should rest and that would be better. But we don’t think beyond that. The important thing is to have continuity,” coach Scaloni expressed when talking about the 37-year-old player’s condition.
With Inter Miami eliminated early from the MLS Cup, Messi will not play another competitive match until March 2025. However, coach Scaloni has no problem keeping faith in the 37-year-old.
“This year, Messi has played a lot of games, had a lot of opportunities to play, and there was a Copa America in between. It’s difficult for him to be 100% fit and not have physical problems, I see that as normal. He had an injury that disrupted his plans a bit, but overall he’s always been fine with us,” coach Scaloni emphasized.
Also in the press conference before the match between Argentina and Peru, coach Scaloni affirmed that there will be many changes for Albiceleste in 2025, giving more priority to players who play regularly at their clubs and achieve high performance.
“We need them to play more. The six matches in this World Cup qualifier are very close together after the Copa America. We have chosen to continue with the group of players that brought us success and there is not much time to bring other players in. But from now on, we need everyone to play their best and from there we will decide the level of each person,” coach Scaloni explained.
The Argentine team is going through a series of not really impressive matches, they only won 1 out of 4 recent matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. The rest lost 2 and drew 1. The match with Peru is the goal that Messi and his teammates determined to win to regain the spirit and trust of the fans.
In the March 2025 schedule, Argentina will have two other tough matches against Uruguay (away) and Brazil (home). In addition, they will likely play the Intercontinental Cup Finalissima against Spain.
However, coach Scaloni confirmed: “The Finalissima match is unlikely to happen, because the Spanish team will have to compete in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe. With such a schedule, I don’t see that happening. Let’s wait and see.”
