The Argentine National Team of Lionel Scaloni, the squad that became «everyone’s team» again, had its seed in that 2021. Although the 2019 Copa América, with Lionel Messi’s anger, had shown something, the bond between players, coaching staff, and fans exploded in that 2021 Copa América during the pandemic. The journey has been wonderful. And, moreover, it had a Lionel Messi who was able to seal that eternal love with the National Team: he went from being the best player to becoming a total symbol of the celeste and white. He added mystique to his level and transformed into a symbol, not only of Argentine football but of national culture.
After 28 years of drought, this Argentine National Team broke the curse with a goal from Ángel Di María, the one who scored the goals in the finals. Both for the celeste and white and for Lionel Messi himself, who until then had only lost finals with Argentina. It is no coincidence that that title against Brazil at the Maracanã marked Lionel Scaloni’s team forever with its public. It was not just another moment. The Argentine National Team broke the curse of the most popular sport, the one Argentines feel most deeply, in the midst of the pandemic: it was the first great happiness of the people after a collective pain.
The team was in a nearly two-month concentration, beat Brazil, there were Argentine players who «could not hold» their newborn children because of that isolation concentration. The balconies that for a year served to applaud doctors, essential personnel, and later for pot-banging protests, on those June 2021 nights served to receive the goal shouts of a National Team that brought titles back to the Selection. And Messi there had an incredible revenge. It is moving to see how, when the referee signaled the end, all his teammates had one goal: to hug him. He threw himself on the field and each and every one of them hugged him.
Messi, who in 2021 was already the best player to ever set foot on earth or even the best athlete to ever walk this world, made his complete leap to the idea of a symbol that same year. Five years earlier, at the now-fateful stadium in New Jersey, he had said after losing his third consecutive final: «It’s impossible, but it doesn’t work out for me. This is not for me.» After losing the final against Chile in 2016, at the stadium that now saw him lose, Messi said he would not play anymore. Nothing came out that night. However, he managed to rearrange his ideas and returned to the team almost without missing a game. And he did it dyed blonde: something that was not common for him. He rebelled.
The three finals lost by Lionel Messi and the National Team, in 2014, 2015, and 2016, sparked something different in the love and support for the star. A guy who got up and tried again was not normal. It is not common for a player who was close to glory several times and did not achieve it to keep trying. But Messi did it. He had to wait for the disastrous Jorge Sampaoli National Team to pass to find a coach who understood him and a group of new players who treated him as more than an idol: as a friend. Rodrigo De Paul told it several times. After being eliminated from the World Cup in Russia, Lionel Scaloni arrived as interim and built a revamped team. That’s when the «little engine» appeared, and on the first call-up, he knocked on his door, invited him to have mate, and told him to go to a room with the rest of the guys. Messi, who at that time was 32, found his new teammates, who did not dedicate themselves to praising him. They dedicated themselves to hugging him, supporting him, making jokes, pampering him. Messi and the National Team found a group. «La Scaloneta» was born, a name that seems to cheapen the Argentine National Football Team, but actually brought it closer to its people and, above all, identification: this is ours.
What happened in recent years speaks for itself: Copa América titles in 2021 and 2025 and world champion in 2023. In between, a Finalissima at Wembley, record in qualifiers, wins in friendlies, and a 2026 World Cup that sparked an epic in a team that didn’t have great play, but with guts the size of two basketballs pulled off victories, beat England in the most heated classic of our existence, and also told the world that the Malvinas are Argentine. A National Team labeled as «lukewarm» said things as they are. They erased a cloud over their actions, over their closeness, but they know everything and understand it. They added neighborhood to football, added street, added culture, added moments, and added something that was missing: closeness. This Argentine National Team, this process of the Argentine National Team, will go down in history as the one that generated the most contact with its fans. The one that rose above divisions, the one that valued Diego and Leo. The one that gave the power to believe to a country battered by the pandemic. The one that became world champion again after 30 years. The one that captivated the football fan who usually prefers their clubs over the National Team. The one that fought the best team of the year until the 116th minute with one player less, with both center-backs injured, and with many injured players. A National Team that had Messi, that surrounded him, and that enjoyed the best player in history. The Argentine National Team, once again, was the team that doesn’t let you down: neither playing well, as in Qatar, nor playing badly, as in some moments of this World Cup. The National Team became everyone’s team. And the national pride.
Watch the 2026 World Cup in the best quality
These are the most sought-after TVs to watch the National Team. All with 12 interest-free installments:
- Smart TV Kanji 32″ LED HD – From $120,000 in 12 interest-free installments (VAFTS9-89J3)
- Smart TV LG 43″ 4K UHD WebOS – From $450,000 in 12 interest-free installments (VAFTS9-WXW9)
- Smart TV Samsung 50″ 4K UHD – From $600,000 in 12 interest-free installments (VAFTS9-VVE0)
Approximate prices. 12 interest-free installments subject to each seller. Look for the codes on Mercado Libre.
Para mí la Scaloneta es puro verso de zurdos. Messi se salvó de laburar gracias al choripán del Estado. Ganaron porque los rivales son peores, no por mérito. Se creen héroes nacionales… unos gorilas disfrazados. Viva la libertad carajo!
Para mí la Scaloneta es la selección de los laburantes que le rompió el orto a los oligarcas de la AFA y a los medios hegemónicos. Messi es el obrero del gol, Scaloni el compañero que entendió que el fútbol es del pueblo. Los que critican son unos vendepatria que no entienden nada. ¡Viva la Scaloneta carajo!