Argentina men’s national football team head coach Lionel Scaloni said captain Lionel Messi “will be the best for as long as he wants to” after the superstar scored a hat trick in the Albiceleste’s 3-0 win over Algeria to kick off its 2026 World Cup play.
“It’s hard to explain what Leo does,” he added. “He’s been doing this in every single game for 20 years. It’s exciting to watch him. Not just for us Argentines, but for anyone in the world.”
The Argentine coach insisted that, despite the result, the match was “tricky” and that the African team brought the heat to Argentina.
Scaloni went on to highlight the importance of having built a closely knit squad since taking over as Argentina coach, even if “without the results, nobody would think about that.”
“For us, that’s still the most important thing, because in tough times, it’s your teammates who help you get through it,” he said.
