Lionel Scaloni: Argentina's unsung hero

Many have sung Lionel Messi praises following Argentina's triumph at the just-ended FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

After losing the FIFA World Cup final in 2014 to Germany and suffering back-to-back defeats in the Copa America finals to Chile, the young man who hails from Rosario managed to stage a superb comeback to reclaim the titles which eluded him in previous international tournaments.

Having won the 2021 Copa America title on enemy soil after beating rivals Brazil in their own backyard at the iconic Maracana Stadium, the Lionel Messi-led troops went ahead to beat European champions Italy 3-0 in the Finalissima to claim another silverware.

La Albiceleste capped it all with the prestigious FIFA World Cup trophy at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday, December 18 after a pulsating game of football
saw them dethrone France as world champions.

Considering the buzz surrounding Messi's historic feat and his 'GOAT' status after Argentina emerged champions, one may lose sight of the mastermind behind the team's recent achievements.

Lionel Scaloni, the unsung hero on the Argentine bench has been the brains behind La Albiceleste's successes in recent years.

The 44-year-old who was the World Cup's youngest coach has led Argentina to its first world cup trophy in 36 years.

Scaloni became Argentina's manager by chance in 2018 following the team's disappointing campaign in Russia. He wasn't the preferred choice but rather the convenient one.

Scaloni was named as a joint caretaker coach with Lionel Messi's idol, Pablo Aimar till the end of the year (2018) following the sacking of Jorge Sampoli.

The broke Argentine FA couldn't afford to hire a new coach.

The financial situation compelled the AFA to make Scaloni's deal permanent as they were still paying off Sampoli's compensation.

Scaloni, who once worked as a video analyst for Sevilla in Spanish La Liga then led the team to a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa America.

Two years on, his Argentine side beat Brazil in the finals of the Copa America and went ahead to defeat 2020 Euros winners Italy in the Finalissima before capping it all up with the prestigious FIFA World Cup.

WDN