Messi to face Colombia in World Cup qualifier, but squad not reliant on him, says Scaloni

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM ARGENTINA'S COACH, LIONEL SCALONI

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: EZEIZA, ARGENTINA (JUNE 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. ARGENTINA’S COACH, LIONEL SCALONI, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE

2. SCALONI AT NEWS CONFERENCE

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA’S COACH, LIONEL SCALONI, SAYING:

“As per the first question regarding whether (Lionel) Messi will play: we have no doubt. We hope the people enjoy him and the team.”

4. REPORTER ASKING QUESTION

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA’S COACH, LIONEL SCALONI, SAYING:

“The team is now in a moment where it can play in the same way with Leo (Messi) or without Leo, which used to be more complex in the past as we had to change some players, but now we don’t have this necessity and the team works in the same way, that’s good. On the other topic, if it is the best moment (for the national team), I don’t know what to say, after the Copa America, we’ve had good moments too, I remember here against Bolivia. I’m speaking about the Copa America in 2021, so it depends on the game and we don’t analyze if we’re in the best moment or not, but I do think we’ve had continuity and I think it’s the most important thing and what leaves us more tranquil.”

6. REPORTER ASKING QUESTION

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA’S COACH, LIONEL SCALONI, SAYING:

“To me, Colombia has deserved to win many games in which it hasn't had luck. It lost games in the last minutes in Uruguay, and it deserved to win in other games. So the ranking is deceiving, as if it had won, it would be ranked second. So the statistics in the end sometimes don't tell the truth. It’s a good team, I’d say it’s one of the best, and it’s at the same level as the best world selections and will make things complicated for us now.”

8. REPORTER ASKING QUESTION

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA’S COACH, LIONEL SCALONI, SAYING:

“It’s (Colombia) a great selection, and with great players, and it has a clear style that can put you in trouble. We’ve analysed it, we’ve shown the players their strengths and what we want to take advantage of. It’s going to be a nice game, especially because we play at home, so it’s good for our people to see the players.”

10. SCALONI LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE

STORY: Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, confirmed on Monday (June 9) that Lionel Messi will play in the World Cup qualifier against Colombia on Tuesday (June 10), although he assured the world champion squad is not dependent on him to maintain standards.

Scaloni said Colombia is not an easy opponent despite ranking 6th in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

Argentina will play at home after beating Chile 1-0 last week, leading the South American rankings.

The current world champion has already qualified for the 2026 U.S.-Mexico-Canada tournament. Colombia didn’t qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

(Production: Miguel lo Bianco, Anna Portella)