The CONMEBOL Copa América™ Coaches: Lionel Scaloni
2024-04-08
- He has won three titles with the Argentine national team.
- He is the only one among those who coached in the 2021 edition who remains in his position.
Lionel Scaloni was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, in 1978 and was a national team player: with the U-20 team, he became champion in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia, and with the senior team, he participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
After being an assistant to Jorge Sampaoli in the cycle that culminated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Scaloni – who had no experience coaching senior teams at the time – first assumed the role on an interim basis and, once confirmed in his position, had a major objective: the CONMEBOL Copa América Brazil 2019™.
The team’s good performance (finishing in third place) led to the renewal of his contract until the next CONMEBOL Copa América™ in 2021. And the growth his team had been experiencing reached its first major milestone in that year: Argentina became champions of the CONMEBOL Copa América™ for the 15th time in its history, ending a 28-year title drought in the tournament. Lionel Messi, the team’s star, won his first title with the senior national team.
In 2022, Scaloni’s Argentina continued their successful run by winning the Finalissima against Italy, and at the end of the year, they had another major achievement for him and South American football: the Albiceleste became champions in the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, securing their third star and ending a streak of four consecutive European titles (2006-2018).
With the friendlies played in March 2024, the native of Santa Fe reached 69 matches as the national team coach and shares the fifth place with Marcelo Bielsa for the most matches coached for Argentina. He won 48 matches, drew 15, and lost 6. He maintained an unbeaten streak of 36 matches, the longest in the history of the Argentine national team.
The leader of an extensive and successful cycle will arrive in the United States in search of his second CONMEBOL Copa América™ conquest: will he be able to achieve it?