Lionel Messi is set to see his relationship with World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni come to an end after the latter announced his willingness to leave his role.
Fresh from celebrating their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Clásico del Atlántico at the Maracanã Stadium, the Argentina national team was taken aback by the news of Lionel Scaloni's potential resignation.
The 45-year-old led La Albiceleste to the 2022 World Cup trophy in Qatar and has achieved legendary status among players and fans.
Scaloni became Argentina's coach on August 3, 2018 and has a 68.66 percent win rate and three trophies to his name.
Expectations are high for Scaloni
Before the 2022 World Cup triumph, Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986, inspired by Diego Armando Maradona, with a lot of disappointment and emotional torture in between those triumphs.
The Argentine national team always carries the burden of winning every tournament in which they participate, with Messi and a host of other top players in their ranks. This fact is not lost on Scaloni, and the weight of this expectation seems to be taking its toll.
Speaking after the win over Brazil, he said, "Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well... I need to stop the ball and start thinking. I have a lot of things to think about during this time."
"It's not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it's complicated to keep going and it's complicated to keep winning," he added.
Argentina players don't want Scaloni to quit
However, Messi and his Argentine teammates are not ready to part with Scaloni and hope he will continue as their coach.
These thoughts were echoed by Argentina's defender, Cristian Romero, after the game.
"We are sure and hope that Scaloni will continue," he said while speaking to reporters after the win over Brazil. "Let's see, now he will have time to think; he didn't say anything in the dressing room about it. We will try to convince him," he added.
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