Reigning Copa America champions Argentina will now look to conquer the world on the back of arguably the game’s greatest ever player Lionel Messi leading them. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner finally broke the hoodoo of not winning a silverware with Argentina by lifting the Copa America, and since has been in blistering form for both club and country.
And in what it will be his last ever World Cup with the La Albiceleste, Messi will certainly aim to lift the trophy which he came close to in 2014, only falling to Germany in the final. However, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will have to deal with a number of injury scares in the squad, as we take a look at which other 25 players will join Messi to complete the final 26-man squad.
Argentina World Cup Squad – The players in contention
Goalkeepers
Emiliano Martinez, the golden glove winner at Copa America 2021 will be the only undisputed starter alongside Messi. However, Argentina do not have a significant depth in the ‘keeping department, with Franco Armani well known for his blunders in 2018 tournament. Villarreal’s Geronimo Rulli is an option who can deputize Martinez, however he too has a lack of experience with the national team.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Emiliano Martinez |
Aston Villa |
| Juan Musso |
Atalanta |
|
Geronimo Rulli |
Villarreal |
| Franco Armani |
River Plate |
|
Agustin Rossi |
Boca Juniors |
| Agustin Marchesin |
Celta de Vigo |
Defenders
Scaloni has developed a formidable partnership in Nicolas Otamendi and Christian Romero at the back, which however could be disrupted this time by Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez. The center-back has displayed solid form in the Premier League for the Red Devils, and has no reason not to be named in the starting line-up. Otamendi would then be the one who could be sacrificed by Scaloni, since Romero too has been a rock at the back.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Christian Romero |
Tottenham |
| Lisandro Martinez |
Manchester United |
|
German Pezzella |
Real Betis |
| Nicolas Otamendi |
Benfica |
|
Facundo Medina |
Lens |
| Nehuen Perez |
Udinese |
|
Nahuel Molina |
Atletico Madrid |
| Gonzalo Montiel |
Sevilla |
|
Nicolas Tagliafico |
Lyon |
| Marcos Acuna |
Sevilla |
|
Lucas Martinez Quarta |
Fiorentina |
| Juan Foyth |
Villarreal |
|
Marcos Senesi |
Bournemouth |
| Valentin Barco |
Boca Juniors |
Midfielders
Argentina’s midfield have already shown what wonders they can work at the 2021 Copa America in Brazil. The two-time world champions are spearheaded by a fearless midfield, with a perfect mix of youth and experience. Moreover, majority of their midfielders, who are highly likely to make the final squad are excelling for their respective clubs, further boosting the country’s chances of finally winning the World Cup since Diego Maradona won it for them in 1986.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Guido Rodriguez |
Real Betis |
|
Rodrigo De Paul |
Atletico Madrid |
| Exequiel Palacios |
Bayer Leverkusen |
|
Alexis Mac Allister |
Brighton |
| Giovani Lo Celso |
Villarreal |
|
Enzo Fernandez |
Benfica |
| Thiago Almada |
Atalanta United |
|
Alejandro Gomez |
Sevilla |
| Angel Di Maria |
Juventus |
|
Leandro Paredes |
Juventus |
| Manu Lanzini |
West Ham United |
|
Roberto Pereyra |
Udinese |
| Nicolas Dominguez |
Bologna |
|
Ignacio Fernandez |
Atletico Mineiro |
| Alan Varela |
Boca Juniors |
|
Matias Zaracho |
Atletico Mineiro |
| Fausto Vera |
Corinthians |
Forwards
Lionel Messi will finally have some lethal strikers to accompany him up front at a World Cup. The former Barca player could easily have been a world champion by now, if his ex-teammate Gonzalo Higuain had buried the chances he had in the 2014 final. Sergio Aguero too had quiet outings for Argentina before his retirement.
But this time around, Messi will be assisting Inter’s Lautaro Martinez who is a poacher in front of the goal. The 25-year-old has already netted 21 goals in 40 games for his nation, and will certainly look to put away the chances created for him by Messi in his debut World Cup.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Lionel Messi |
PSG |
|
Nicolas Gonzalez |
Fiorentina |
| Angel Correa |
Atletico Madrid |
|
Lautaro Martinez |
Inter |
| Paulo Dybala |
Roma |
|
Julian Alvarez |
Manchester City |
| Joaquin Correa |
Inter |
|
Lucas Alario |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Emi Buendia |
Aston Villa |
|
Gio Simeone |
Napoli |
| Lucas Ocampos |
Ajax |
|
Alejandro Garnacho |
Manchester United |
| Matias Soule |
Juventus |
The Probable Squad
Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Agustin Rossi, Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Acuna, Juan Foyth, Marcos Senesi, Gonzalo Montiel, Christian Romero, Enzo Fernandez, Giovanni Lo Celso, Alejandro Gomez, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Guido Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, Nicolas Gonzalez, Angel Correa, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Joaquin Correa, Gio Simeone
Strongest XI [4-2-3-1]
E. Martinez; Foyth, Romero, L. Martinez, Tagliafico; Paredes, De Paul; Di Maria, Messi, Lo Celso; Martinez