[gossip board] Scaroni: if Messi still wants to play, the 10th of the next World Cup will be left to him.

December 19-Argentine coach Luciano Scaloni attended a press conference after the match against France.
Thank you, Lionel, thank you, first question, how does it feel now?
Good evening, in fact, I have calmed down a lot now, of course, I would like to talk about the game itself, not only because we won the championship, but also because it is a crazy game.
Of course, it may be a great result for everyone, but as a coach, I am not satisfied with this game because we could have solved the problem in 90 minutes. We were unlucky, but we played a great game.
I feel very happy now, because at least I didn’t think I could be a World Cup champion. But now we have succeeded, and I think Argentina deserved it in the process.
What was your mood during the competition? And what do you think of your more than 4 years of coaching since taking over the team in 2018?
I think it’s not bad, but it’s not bad on the whole. As for the game, I still say, we should solve the battle in 90 minutes, we should solve the battle in 120 minutes, but even if France keep equalizing the score-they really deserve it-but we didn’t give up. It’s like the game against Holland, we’ve been holding on, holding on.
Bilaldo once said that compared with others, only victory is truly valuable. Today’s victory also means a lot to the people of Argentina:
Yes, I said this team is fighting for the people of Argentina, there is no selfishness, no individualism, everyone is in the same direction, because there is nothing more proud than to play for your country. We went all out to defend this honor, and everyone was very happy.
Although the process of winning the championship may not be important, I think it is very important. although we finally won on penalties, Argentina was also the rightful winner. We created a lot of opportunities today. The opponent only got the chance in a very extreme situation.
A controversial topic before the World Cup is the comparison between European and South American football. Will this victory provide a response to this controversy?
I don’t really want to get involved in this kind of controversy, because the South American team is a first-class team and has a lot of players playing in the top league, not as some people say, of course I think Mbappe may be misunderstood, because there are a lot of South American teammates around him. I’m sure he knows best about it.
I have actually responded to this before. South American teams have been unable to win the championship for many years. I don’t think it’s because of the level, but because there are more European teams, and if you want to win, you need to eliminate the strongest opponents. But it also needs to be understood correctly, and some remarks should not be misread.
What do you think Argentina is most proud of? And why do you insist that Argentina should resolve the battle in 90 minutes?
Di Maria left early because we thought the game should be over, when we asked DePaul to retreat to protect Molina’s side from being 1v1 by Mbappe, McAllister as a midfield, constantly interspersed, looking for space, France could hardly create opportunities at that time. But as it went on like this, things turned to the other side in the end. But I still think that Argentina’s performance has the upper hand.
What did you say to the players during the game, especially in 90 minutes, overtime and before the penalty shootout?
We are always optimistic because we have been playing well. Of course, our teammates used two isolated opportunities to equalize the score, but we were always optimistic to play our football well, create opportunities and continue to attack.
France has one last chance before the penalty shootout, but we all believe that Dibu can bring confidence to his teammates at a time like this, even though the opponent scored three goals before, but only a few shots were saved by him. This is a sign of confidence, and it is very good for the team to have such a goalkeeper.
Lionel Messi said it might be the last time to play in the World Cup, but do you think or want Messi to play again?
I think Lionel Messi will have a place in the next World Cup, at least for now, there will be 2026, but there is still oil, if he wants to continue to play, our No. 10 jersey can be saved for him. Of course, I think Messi’s career and national team career have no regrets, and I also think Messi’s career has no regrets all the time. I am honored to have been his teammate and his coach. I have seen in him the influence and appeal I have never seen for my teammates, which I think is unprecedented.
At the age of 44, now you are on a par with Menotti and Larry, what do you think?
I do not think, because they have a greater career, created an era, I hope everyone is happy today, I am happy. Because this is a football match, it’s just a football match. But for Argentina, it’s not just football. I hope you all enjoy it.
Have you ever worried that the champion might slip away?
I think I need to tell a story, that is, after we qualified for the World Cup, after the match against Brazil, I talked to Messi. I thought it was very difficult at that time, because people expected too much from the team, and the higher the expectation, the greater the possibility of disappointment.
I told Messi that “people may expect too much from the team,” and Messi said, “it doesn’t matter, just move on, we will succeed, and if we don’t succeed, we’ll work hard.” This gave me confidence because I was nervous and anxious at that time, but I thought it was no problem to get his answer.
If you could say a word to Maradona, what would you say?
We are lucky to win this championship because Argentina is a football country and I believe Maradona in the sky will be happy about it. If he is still alive, he will undoubtedly be our first fan. Maybe it was only when you asked me that he was gone. If he were here, I’m sure Diego would enjoy it, too.
There are many players who used to be members of this national team, but unfortunately missed the World Cup:
I wish I could mention some people’s names, but I’m afraid I’ll miss some people, which is not good. But a lot of people, they have played a huge role in the past four years, a lot of people should play in the World Cup, but this is the norm of the national team, there are always new people coming in. I want to thank them, including some players who chose to come to the scene to support our team.