Is Anyone Ready to be Argentina’s Next Star?

Most articles need some sort of introduction – a summary of the situation for the reader to get them settled. This one does not. Everyone with any interest in soccer – and plenty with none at all – whether they’re in South America, North America, Europe, Africa, or Asia – has already heard the news of Lionel Messi’s retirement from international football. Whether the writing had been on the wall or not, it’s a painful blow, no matter what nation you turn up to world cups and other international tournaments in support of.

That number sat on one back for more than two decades. Now, Scaloni is left holding a jersey with no obvious owner, and half of South America has formed an opinion on who should pull it over their shoulders next.

There’s a reason why Nico Paz’s name keeps coming up, and it’s not just the fact that he already wears the number for Como. Raised through Real Madrid’s academy, and only recently pulled into the senior squad during the final moments of Messi’s hat trick game against Algeria, he plays with a kind of collected, unhurried control that older Argentine players were once known for.

Eleven caps in, with a growing case built on 19 goals across just over 70 appearances for Como, he’s the pick reporters keep circling back to..

Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister don’t need to fill Messi’s shoes to make their mark on this team; they already have, having been central to how Argentina plays for years. Replacing Messi is a priority, but Argentina can’t afford to lose Fernandez or Mac Allister either. Thiago Almada belongs in that conversation, too. Scaloni’s started leaning on him in moments that used to belong to someone else entirely.

The Case for Waiting

If you follow how these things get priced, bookmakers at SA best online casino platforms have been shuffling their odds on the successor every few weeks, which tells you as much about the guesswork involved as it does about any of the players themselves. Scaloni’s given no sign he’s in a hurry, and there’s a fair argument for leaving it be. Argentina had a No. 10 defined by one player for so long that handing it to someone new invites a comparison that isn’t really fair to whoever gets it. Retiring it for a stretch, the way some clubs do with a legend’s number, would take the pressure off entirely.

Then again, shirts get reassigned eventually. Squads move forward whether or not the digits keep pace with them, and there’s a decent chance the decision gets made less by committee and more by whoever’s simply playing well enough in the coming qualifiers that leaving him in double digits starts to look strange. Paz has the early edge. Mastantuono has the precedent. Álvarez has the goals. None of it settles anything yet, and Scaloni’s contract talks will likely decide the timeline before any of the players do.