An emotional Lionel Scaloni hinted that he may step aside from the Argentina job following the FIFA World Cup final loss to Spain on Sunday, July 19. Scaloni’s side were beaten 0-1 in extra time as their bid to win a second consecutive World Cup ended in despair.
Scaloni was appointed as the manager of Albiceleste in 2018 and guided them to two Copa America titles and a World Cup win in 2022. The former right-back was an emotional mess right after the loss, failing to complete his press conference. However, he spoke with the reporters later on.
Scaloni was asked about his future and said that he would continue until the end of the year and then talk to the federation president on which step to take next.
While Scaloni admitted that it was his dream job, he also said that it will be fair for someone else to take over and continue the work and left the decision in the hands of the federation.
“No, no. I’ll stay until December, and after that I’ll most likely step aside. I’ll continue until then, and afterward I’ll speak with the federation president. The idea is to take a break and slow down a bit. That’s the plan.”
“This is an incredible place, a dream. I hope more people get the chance to experience it because any Argentine would love to be here. It has been a pleasure to be here, an honour beyond anything I ever imagined in my wildest dreams.”
“No, I hadn’t really thought about it before. But yes, I’ll stay until December. If the president wants me to, I’ll be here. After that, I think it will be difficult because it’s also fair for someone else to take over.”
“What I truly hope remains is this group spirit, this sense of unity between the players and the people. I don’t think that feeling should ever be broken. It should last forever,” said Scaloni.
The former defender’s contract will expire at the end of the year. When asked if it was a farewell, Scaloni reiterated that his intention is see off the remaining time in his tenure.
However, he admitted that job does demand a lot from him and remained non-committal about continuing in the role.
“No, I’ll stay until December, and after that I’ll probably step away.”
“You said the opposite of what I was thinking! (laughs) But in any case, I still have to discuss it with the president. I think it’s the right thing to do. And again, this place is incredible—spectacular, beautiful, like a dream.”
“But this job demands so much, and we’ll see what happens after December. As I said, I’ll definitely be here until then, but that’s how I see it for now,” said Scaloni.
If it is truly the end of the road for Scaloni, the 48-year-old will go down as one of the most successful Argentina managers of all time.
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