Lionel Scaloni is eager for Lionel Messi to commit to helping Argentina retain the World Cup this summer.
Messi has remained mysteriously reluctant to confirm he will make himself available for the defending champions, despite playing through qualifying and the warm-up games.
The 38-year-old scored one and assisted another as Scaloni’s side thrashed Zambia 5-0 in Buenos Aires last night in what could have been his final appearance in a national team shirt in his home country.
Scaloni refuses to apply any pressure on Messi to make a final decision but remains optimistic his talisman will play in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“It will be an honour for me to work with him if he decides that this will be his last World Cup,” said Scaloni. “Because with him, you never know what to expect. Everyone wants to see him and enjoy his game, and I will do everything possible so that the team can support him.
“When the time comes, if he decides to come [to the World Cup], we will sit down and talk because he wants the same thing we do. If he comes, he will want to play. Let’s hope we enjoy watching him play if he decides to come, and we’ll see what happens.”
Scaloni tips Messi to reach 1,000 goals
Messi scored the 902nd goal of his remarkable career against Zambia and, while he has not been outspoken in his desire to reach 1,000 unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, Scaloni believes it is possible, especially as his Miami contract is due to run until 2028.
He added: ”I think he will reach that mark. If he continues to play, I don’t think he will have any problems. I hope he keeps playing because he is happy on the pitch, and we all want to see him. How many did he score, 90-plus goals in a year [in 2012]? He can achieve it.”
The win over Zambia was routine for Argentina but also welcome after the disappointing performance against Mauritania on Friday.
“The important thing is that what happened the other day doesn’t happen again. I think today it was shown that it was an accident and the team working together managed to play well,” Scaloni said.
