Lionel Messi currently leads the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race after producing a hat-trick and a brace in Argentina‘s opening two matches. While another appearance against Jordan could further strengthen his lead, Argentina’s priority is preserving their captain for the knockout rounds. Having already secured qualification for the Round of 32, the defending champions have little reason to take unnecessary risks, and head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Messi will begin the match on the bench. It is a decision that reflects Argentina’s long-term thinking rather than any concern over form or fitness. At 39, careful workload management has become an important part of Messi’s schedule, especially during a demanding tournament.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has always placed team success above individual milestones, and he is unlikely to be concerned about the Golden Boot if it means arriving fresh for the business end of the competition, where Argentina’s title defence will truly be tested.
Lionel Scaloni dismissed any injury concerns surrounding Messi, revealing that the Argentina captain will start on the bench against Jordan as part of a planned rotation ahead of the knockout stages.
“So Leo is going to start on the bench, and it’s not, and I’m not trying to skirt the question,” Scaloni said in acknowledging that it was a staff decision unrelated to any injury. “Now, as for the formation, I won’t tell you any more on that, and Leo will come in a little bit later.”
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Messi in supreme form
Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals across their first two group-stage matches, taking his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals in six tournaments. He registered his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in the 3-0 victory over Algeria, drawing level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose on 16 goals before surpassing the record with a brace in Monday’s 2-0 win over Austria.
Klose reached his tally in 24 World Cup appearances, ending his fourth and final tournament by lifting the trophy with Germany after their 1-0 extra-time victory over Messi’s Argentina in the 2014 final. France forward Kylian Mbappé also moved level with Klose on 16 goals after scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Iraq on Monday. However, the 27-year-old was unable to add to his tally in France’s 4-1 victory over Norway in their final Group E fixture, leaving him on four goals for the tournament.
Scaloni defended the decision to rest his starters, perhaps inadvertently indicating players other than Messi could be out of the lineup, when he spoke about his backups deserving the opportunity to play.
“Those that are playing tomorrow are playing because they deserve to be playing, they are part of the team, they are part of all the efforts that we’ve been doing in training,” he said.
