Argentina's World Cup-winning manager Lionel Scaloni made a surprising revelation that he was considering stepping down from his position following his team's remarkable victory over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.
Scaloni's unexpected statement about his future arose spontaneously during his press conference at the Maracana Stadium, after Argentina secured a 1-0 win over their rivals, maintaining their lead in the South American qualifying standings for the 2026 World Cup.
"Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well ... I need to stop the ball and start thinking, I have a lot of things to think about during this time," Scaloni, who took no questions, said in his opening remarks.
"These players have given a lot to the coaching staff and I need to think a lot about what I'm going to do."
"It's not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it's complicated to keep going and it's complicated to keep winning."
"These guys are making it difficult, so I need to think about it for a while. I will talk to the FA president and the players afterwards."
The 45-year-old assumed the role of manager in 2018 and guided Argentina to victory in the Copa America in 2021, marking their first major win since the 1986 World Cup. They secured their third global title in Qatar last year.
Under his leadership, captain Lionel Messi retired from international play in 2016 but later returned, shouldering the immense pressure for success in a country where football is revered akin to a religion.
