Lionel Scaloni shocks with intention to resign as coach of Argentina national team

"I need to stop playing football first. And then I start thinking about my future," Argentina's head coach, Lionel Scaloni, hinted when mentioning his intention to leave the "hot seat" of the Tango team right after helping his team defeat Brazil 1-0 in the 6th round of the South American World Cup qualifiers on the morning of November 22 (Vietnam time).

Lionel Scaloni gây sốc với ý định từ chức HLV đội tuyển Argentina - 1 — Coach Scaloni took over the "hot seat" of the Argentina national team since 2018 and helped Albiceleste win the Copa America as well as the World Cup (Photo: Getty).

"This is not goodbye. But what I will say is that every player has always given their best for me. The standards in the Argentina team are very high. For me, it is difficult to continue and maintain such a winning streak.

So maybe the team needs a new coach with enough energy to maintain this form," the 45-year-old added about the decision that shocked the media and fans of Argentina.

Also after the match ended, according to journalist Joaquin Bruno, coach Scaloni announced his resignation to his players by telling them to "take a final photo together" after the victory helped Argentina consolidate their top position in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in South America.

Meanwhile, famous journalist Gaston Edul revealed that the reason coach Scaloni decided to resign was due to disagreements with Chiqui Tapia, President of the Argentine Football Federation.

Coach Lionel Scaloni took over the "hot seat" of the Argentina team in 2018 and led the Tango team to win the 2021 Copa America championship. In December 2018, this strategist born in 1978 led Messi and his teammates to win the 2022 World Cup.

"We are sure and hope that Scaloni will continue. He will have time to think. He has not said anything in the dressing room about it. We will try to convince him to stay," defender Cristian Romero said of Scaloni's decision to resign.

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