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“The Flea” leads the scorers of the World Cup with 5 goals
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has agreed to bench his star player Lionel Messi for the start of the Tango Dancers match against Jordan, scheduled for tomorrow morning, Sunday GMT, in the third and final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage.
Scalloni is keen to give Messi a rest after Argentina secured their place in the round of 32 by topping Group 10 and also got to know their next opponents, Cape Verde, who finished runners-up to Spain in Group 8.
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Messi’s absence will give Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez a chance to start the current World Cup for the first time, where he will lead the forward line alongside Lautaro Martinez, according to renowned Argentinian journalist Gaston Idol.
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Alvarez took part in the matches against Algeria (3-0) and Austria (2-0) as a replacement for Martinez in the 55th and 64th minutes, respectively.
For his part, Scalloni said at the introductory press conference of the Argentina-Jordan match. “Leon will start the match on the bench. I already know the starting lineup, but I can’t reveal it here.”
He explained that the decision to rest Messi comes as part of managing the Argentine star’s physical exertion after securing early qualification, noting that the match “presents an opportunity to try new elements and give the substitutes extra playing minutes”.
