Key Points
- Scaloni will start Messi on the bench vs. Jordan in Dallas.
- A rotation call, not injury — Argentina already won Group J.
- Messi leads the team with five goals this tournament.
- He holds the men’s World Cup record with 18 career goals.
Lionel Messi will watch Argentina’s World Cup group finale begin from the bench. Coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed Messi will start the match against Jordan at AT&T Stadium in Dallas among the substitutes, a rotation decision unrelated to injury: Argentina has already clinched Group J, freeing the staff to rest starters before the knockouts.
It is a luxury earned by dominance. Messi has been Argentina’s lone scorer so far, netting five goals in the first two matches and extending his men’s World Cup record to 18 career goals. “We talked and agreed that it was better that way,” Scaloni said, adding that Messi will “most likely” enter in the second half.
The subtext is the calendar. Managing a 38-year-old talisman through a 48-team tournament means spending group-stage minutes carefully, and a settled group means Scaloni can. Argentina’s reward for winning Group J is a round-of-32 date with tournament debutant Cape Verde on July 3 — the kind of tie a rested Messi is built to decide.
Source: ESPN, CBS Sports
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