‘That isn’t the reality’- Scaloni admits Messi will not join Argentina fully fit for World Cup

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has admitted that Lionel Messi will not arrive at the national team’s World Cup camp fully fit, raising fresh concern over the defending champions’ preparations for the 2026 tournament.

Messi’s fitness has become one of the biggest talking points ahead of the competition after the Inter Miami star suffered muscle fatigue in his left hamstring during Sunday’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia Union.

The Argentina captain asked to be substituted in the 73rd minute of the match, immediately triggering concern over his condition before what is expected to be his sixth World Cup appearance.

Inter Miami later confirmed that Messi was dealing with muscle fatigue and said his return would depend on how he responds in the coming days and weeks.

Scaloni, speaking to DSports, said the early signs were not disastrous but admitted Argentina would have preferred their captain to report to camp in better physical shape.

“The initial updates aren’t entirely bad,” Scaloni said.

“Now, we must wait to see how he evolves, pending the results of further tests to see if they confirm the initial medical reports.”

The Argentina coach then made the admission that will worry supporters of the world champions.

“We all wished Messi could have joined the squad fully fit, but that isn’t the reality,” he said.

However, Messi is not Scaloni’s only headache.

Argentina are dealing with fitness concerns across several areas of the squad as the deadline for the final World Cup list approaches.

Scaloni said the focus now is to help the injured players recover in time for the tournament.

“It’s not just him; many players have yet to fully recover from injuries. Our main priority now is their rehabilitation to ensure they reach the World Cup in peak condition,” he added.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, one of Argentina’s heroes at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, recently fractured the ring finger on his right hand during warm-ups before Aston Villa’s Europa League final against Freiburg.

Despite the injury, Martinez still played in Villa’s victory and is expected to be fit for Argentina’s opening World Cup match against Algeria on June 16.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero is also racing to recover from a ligament sprain in his right knee.

Atletico Madrid’s Nahuel Molina and River Plate’s Gonzalo Montiel, both expected to be among Scaloni’s right-back options, are also nursing muscle injuries.

Como midfielder Nico Paz missed his club’s final Serie A match because of a knee problem, while Atletico Madrid winger Nicolas Gonzalez is in the final stage of recovery from a muscle tear.

Scaloni said all the injured players would continue to be assessed until Argentina submit their final squad to FIFA.

Messi and the other injured players are not expected to feature in Argentina’s warm-up matches before the tournament.

As a result, Scaloni has expanded his squad for the friendlies against Honduras on June 6 at Texas A&M Stadium and Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama.

The coach has called up goalkeeper Santiago Beltran and winger Joaquin Freitas from River Plate, midfielders Tomas Aranda of Boca Juniors and Simon Escobar of Velez Sarsfield, defender Ignacio Ovando of Rosario Central, and full-backs Nicolas Capaldo of Hamburg and Agustin Giay of Palmeiras.

Scaloni said the new players are being considered as possible emergency options in case more fitness problems emerge before Argentina’s first match.

“Regardless of the fact that they are young and we are looking at them as future national team players, we are calling them up because something could happen between the time the initial squad list is finalized and our first match,” he said.

“That is a period during which we still have the window to make changes.”

Argentina are expected to travel on June 1 to set up their World Cup base camp at Sporting Kansas City’s training facility.

The defending champions will begin their Group J campaign against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City.

They will then face Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27, with both matches scheduled for Arlington, Texas.