Lionel Messi Rests as Argentina Prepares for Group J Finale
Lionel Messi will watch the start of Argentina’s final Group J match from the sidelines.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed on Saturday that his captain will be rested against World Cup debutants Jordan on Sunday, with the plan to use him only if needed.
“Leo will start on the bench. Leo will come in a little bit later,” Scaloni said, keeping the details of his timing – and his starting XI – firmly under wraps.
Argentina ease off the throttle, but not the focus
Argentina have already done the heavy lifting. Wins over Algeria and Austria sealed qualification for the Round of 32 with a game to spare, giving Scaloni the rare luxury of managing minutes for the player who has carried their entire attacking output so far.
Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals in the tournament, a one-man scoring band driving a side that hasn’t yet needed a Plan B. His form has been ruthless: a first World Cup hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Algeria, followed by both goals in the 2-0 victory over Austria at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys – the same stadium that will host the group finale.
Those strikes have rewritten the record book. The Algeria treble pulled him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals. The brace against Austria pushed him to 18, out on his own at the top of the all-time list.
Klose needed 24 World Cup matches for his 16 goals, his last appearance ending with Germany’s 1-0 extra-time win over Messi’s Argentina in the 2014 final. Messi has reached 18 in 28 World Cup games, a span that now stretches across six tournaments.
Records fall, but the schedule looms larger
The numbers keep stacking up. Messi’s 201 caps for Argentina already place him in a category of his own. His 28 World Cup appearances are a FIFA record. He has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho in one of the competition’s most exclusive clubs.
Yet Scaloni’s decision against Jordan is not about records. It is about survival over a long, unforgiving month.
Messi arrived at this World Cup on the back of a minor hamstring issue with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, a niggle that slowed his preparation but has not visibly hampered him in the group stage. Argentina, though, are looking beyond Sunday. If La Albiceleste are serious about returning to another World Cup final, they must manage every sprint, every minute, every risk.
The knockout journey for Argentina starts next Friday in South Florida. In this expanded 48-team format, a run to the final on July 19 would demand five matches in 17 days. It is a schedule that punishes overuse, especially for a 37-year-old who remains the heartbeat of his national team.
Jordan’s stage, Messi’s shadow
Jordan, beaten in their first two matches at their maiden World Cup, now face an Argentina side rotating but still loaded with talent. Scaloni has not revealed his lineup, but the absence of Messi from the opening whistle offers opportunities for others to step out of his considerable shadow and stake a claim before the knockout rounds.
Across the bracket, the chase continues. Kylian Mbappé, who had drawn level with Klose on 16 World Cup goals with a brace in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq, stayed stuck on that mark after failing to score in a 4-1 victory over Norway in his final group game. The French forward sits four goals behind Messi in the all-time standings, at least for now.
On Sunday, all eyes will still drift toward the Argentina bench, waiting for the moment when No. 10 peels off his bib and steps toward the touchline. Scaloni’s gamble is clear: protect the player who has already carried them this far, so that when the tournament truly sharpens, Messi is ready to carry them again.
