Messi to Start on Bench as Argentina Focus on Perfect Group Stage
Lionel Messi will watch the opening whistle from the sideline on Saturday. In a World Cup group stage game. For Argentina.
Lionel Scaloni confirmed that his captain will begin on the bench against Jordan, a rare sight in a tournament where Messi has been the central figure and the decisive finisher.
“Leo is going to start on the bench,” Scaloni told reporters, making a point of giving a clear, direct answer to 91-year-old journalist Enrique Macaya Márquez, who is covering his 18th World Cup. The respect was obvious; so was the conviction. Messi will sit, but not for long. “Leo will come in a little bit later,” Scaloni added, while refusing to reveal anything more about his starting XI.
A Chance to Breathe for Argentina’s Relentless No. 10
This is not an injury crisis. Scaloni stressed that Messi is not carrying a fresh problem, even though the 39-year-old arrived at the tournament managing “muscle fatigue” in his left hamstring, picked up with Inter Miami in MLS on May 24.
Instead, this is the luxury earned by a ruthless start.
Argentina have already wrapped up top spot in Group J, beating Algeria 3-0 and Austria 2-0. All five of their goals have come from the same boot: Messi’s. His brace against Austria pushed him to 18 World Cup goals, the most in the competition’s history, and put him in pole position for the Golden Boot. France’s Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé are close enough to keep him honest, but right now the leaderboard has his name at the top.
With qualification and first place secured, Scaloni finally has room to rotate. The staff also know that if Messi were to sit out completely, he would go 11 days without a game before Argentina’s Round of 32 tie on July 3, when they will face either Cape Verde, Uruguay or Spain. Cold is not how you want the world’s most dangerous finisher to enter a knockout match.
So the compromise is clear: rest, but not rust.
Doors Open for the Supporting Cast
Messi’s spell on the bench hands opportunity to others. Nico Paz, 21, and Giovani Lo Celso, 30, are among those who could step into the lineup. Neither has seen many minutes in Argentina’s first two games, but this is exactly the kind of night when tournament squads deepen, or get exposed.
For Scaloni, it is also a chance to test combinations without the gravitational pull of Messi dictating every attacking pattern. For some in this group, these might be the most important minutes they see before the knockout rounds.
Jordan Play for Pride, Argentina Play for Standards
On the other side, Jordan arrive with nothing left but pride. They have lost both group matches so far — 3-1 to Austria and 2-1 to Algeria — and are already out of the tournament. The stakes for them are emotional rather than mathematical.
Argentina’s are different. Top spot is secure, but the mood in the camp is not one of easing off. Left-back Nicolás Tagliafico made it clear that the reigning champions want to finish group play with a perfect record. The standards that carried them here do not bend just because the table looks comfortable.
So Messi will wait, tracksuit on, watching as others take the stage first. At some point in the second half, the fourth official’s board will light up, the noise will rise, and the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer will jog into the spotlight once more.
Argentina can afford to rest him. The rest of the tournament cannot.
