The sporting world often mistakes vulnerability for weakness. It pushes athletes and managers to hide their emotions. But Lionel Scaloni has never accepted that idea. Argentina’s other Lionel leads with honesty, not pretense, and never shies away from showing exactly how he feels. Even if it means scolding Lionel Messi and the rest of his players.
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On Saturday, Argentina pulled off a last-minute wonder against Switzerland, going 3-1, making it through to the semifinals. The night was extremely special at the Kansas City Stadium because of how intense the match turned out to be.
The Swiss played their best game, but it wasn’t enough to stop Julian Alvarez in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez in the injury time past the 120th minute. So while others left the stadium, the Argentine fans stayed back, singing songs, waiting for their team to leave.
Meanwhile, Alvarez joined his family in the stands and celebrated with the fans. This naturally consumed more time than Scaloni would’ve liked. Very late at night, when the team was finally leaving, cameras caught the head coach checking his wristwatch and rebuking Lionel Messi and the others.
“Chicos, vamos a descansar, viejo (Guys, let’s go get some rest, man),” Scaloni kept saying, trying to hurry his players through the mixed zone. In fact, the 48-year-old was the first one to board the bus and sit next to the driver’s seat. Lionel Scaloni rested his hands on his temples, looking visibly exhausted and eager for some rest.
Well, Lionel Messi’s once-upon-a-time teammate, Scaloni, never shies away from showing his feelings. In the same Argentina-Switzerland quarterfinals, cameras caught another moment.
Tempers briefly flared on Argentina’s touchline after Julian Alvarez found the net in extra time. Scaloni rushed toward assistant Pablo Aimar, eager to make a tactical change. He reached for Aimar’s notebook, but his assistant would not let go. The two shared a tense back-and-forth that quickly turned into a viral moment.
That’s not all. Scaloni isn’t always angry or upset with his boys or the coaching staff. On days, he also cannot hold back his tears.
Lionel Scaloni takes the “Crybaby” tag with pride
Lionel Messi & Co. have a label for Scaloni, “llorona” or the Crybaby. But the 48-year-old doesn’t take that as an insult. “It’s fine,” he says. During Messi’s hat-trick in Argentina’s opening game against Algeria, the head coach couldn’t hold back his tears. Meanwhile, Scaloni became emotional once again during the controversial Round of 16 game against Egypt.
He couldn’t speak to the media during the postgame presser. “I can’t look up, I’m sorry,” he told the reporters after the Argentine side made a very late comeback in the game. “I’m very, very emotional. What a group of players, man! I have to go.”
Ahead of the 2022 World Cup final against France, Lionel Scaloni laid out a clear plan inside Argentina’s dressing room. He urged Angel Di Maria to attack Jules Kounde down the left and exploit every opening. Yet, as shown in the 3 part documentary El metodo Scaloni, emotion took over. His voice faltered, tears followed, and the speech paused before the biggest match of all. Messi recalled the coach’s moment with Pablo Aimar. “I can’t, Pablo. I can’t,” Leo narrated, stating that even Aimar had tears in his eyes.
It’s been quite a ride for Lionel Scaloni with Lionel Messi and others by his side. He has been on a roller-coaster of emotions that doesn’t seem to stop any time soon!
