Scaloni two wins from matching Pozzo’s double World Cup record

Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni is two victories away from matching Vittorio Pozzo as the only managers to win back-to-back World Cups. The prospect is remarkable for a coach who was essentially an accidental appointment, handed the senior job because the national federation could not afford anyone else.

The Argentine Football Association had no money after the 2018 tournament in Russia. Jorge Sampaoli, an expensive hire from Sevilla, had presided over a shambles. His high defensive line exposed a slow backline, resulting in a draw with Iceland and a 3-0 loss to Croatia before elimination by France. Sampaoli left, and with no funds for a replacement, the AFA turned to Scaloni, then the under-21 manager, to simply oversee six friendlies.

Rather than imposing a rigid tactical structure, Scaloni built his approach around cohesion and well-being. His analyst, Matías Manna, noted that "one asado can be as valuable as 20 tactical sessions with videos." This focus on human connection has proven highly effective under the intense pressure of major tournaments, helping the team navigate difficult matches against Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland.

The roots of this dynamic trace back to Europe. Scaloni first connected with Lionel Messi during the forward’s ill-fated senior debut in Budapest in 2005, where he was harshly sent off 45 seconds after coming on for swinging an arm at defender Vilmos Vanczak. Two years later at the 2006 World Cup, it was Scaloni who embraced an 18-year-old Messi in the tunnel after he scored against Serbia and Montenegro.

To secure Messi’s full commitment after the forward briefly quit the national team in 2016, Scaloni leaned on his European-based network. While managing Argentina’s youth team at a tournament in Valencia, Scaloni enlisted former Valencia playmaker Pablo Aimar to join a call with Messi. Aimar, alongside assistant Walter Samuel, shared a heritage with Scaloni as winners of the 1997 Under-20 World Cup under José Pékerman, a coach who famously stressed developing players as human beings.

That philosophy is evident in the current squad. "He has a group of friends by his side," Scaloni said earlier in this tournament, "people who will give their all for him, who see him as a god, but also as a kid from the barrio."

In Qatar, Scaloni’s most notable attribute was his calmness. “The sun will rise tomorrow,” he said after the defeat by Saudi Arabia and the dramatic victory against the Netherlands. In this current tournament, however, that composure has visibly fractured; he recently could not finish his post-match interview after the win over Egypt.