Lionel Scaloni’s Contract Extension Sparks Speculation: Could He Rewrite Argentina’s Coaching History Forever?

Almost four months after the final at MetLife Stadium, Scaloni has finally decided to accept the offer to stay on as coach and will look to keep making history with Argentina.

Scaloni’s résumé: the records he holds and the ones he chases

Few coaches have built a case as strong as Scaloni’s. In 107 matches in charge of Argentina, he has recorded 79 wins, 18 draws, and 10 losses, and he has won four official titles: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America. That puts him in second place among Argentina’s most successful coaches by trophies, tied with Alfio Basile and behind Guillermo Stabile, who won seven.

Some of those marks already belong to him. Scaloni is the coach who has directed the most World Cup matches (13) and won the most (10) in Argentina’s history and he also led the team through a 36-game unbeaten streak between 2019 and 2022, which surpassed the previous record of 31 held by Basile’s team. The run only ended in the opening match of the Qatar World Cup, a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia.

Stabile’s numbers, however, remain within reach. Scaloni needs five more wins to become the coach with the most victories in the history of the national team and he needs 18 more matches to surpass the 124 that Stabile directed, something he could achieve as early as the 2028 Copa America.

With his contract now running through 2030, Scaloni has the time and the tournaments to turn those pursuits into reality. To match Stabile’s seven titles, he would need to win the 2028 Copa America and the 2030 World Cup, and also the Finalissima against Spain, a title that for now remains pending.

Pages: 1 2 3