Scaloni had no previous experience as a head coach, and was only supposed to be in charge for two months while the federation searched for Sampaoli's successor. The late Diego Maradona, himself a former Argentina manager, offered a particularly withering assessment, praising Scaloni's character but telling the Clarin newspaper: 'He's not even capable of directing traffic.' He took over as coach from Jorge Sampaoli after a last-16 exit at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, initially on an interim basis before making the job his own.Īt the time, not everyone had welcomed the arrival of the understated Scaloni at the helm of the national team. He then masterminded the South Americans' third World Cup title with a penalty shoot-out victory over France in the final in Doha. Scaloni, 44, led Argentina to the Copa America title in 2021 - the Albiceleste's first international trophy since 1993. Scaloni, who took over the role in 2018 and guided Lionel Messi's team to glory in Qatar in December, agreed to the new deal while attending the FIFA Best awards in Paris.Īrgentine football chief 'Claudio Tapia and Lionel Scaloni met to finalise the extension of his contract until 2026,' a statement from the federation read under the headline 'Continuity assured'. Argentina's World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni has signed a new contract until the 2026 World Cup, the Argentine football federation announced on Monday.

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