Messi to Start on Bench as Argentina Faces Jordan
Lionel Messi will watch the start of Argentina’s final Group J game from the sideline.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed on Saturday that his captain will be rested for Sunday’s clash with Jordan, with a place on the bench planned for the man who has scored every one of Argentina’s goals at this World Cup so far.
“Leo will start on the bench. Leo will come in a little bit later,” Scaloni said, keeping the rest of his plans close to his chest. He offered no hint of when Messi might be introduced, nor of the full lineup to face Jordan, a debutant on this stage and already beaten in its first two matches.
A rare breather for Argentina’s relentless scorer
Argentina can afford this luxury. Two wins from two — 3-0 against Algeria and 2-0 against Austria — have already sealed their place in the Round of 32. Messi has treated both games like a personal showcase.
He scored all five of Argentina’s goals in those matches, lifting his World Cup tally to a staggering 18. The first act came against Algeria, where his hat trick did more than win the game. It dragged him level with Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals.
The second act came at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where the group finale will also be staged. Against Austria on Monday, Messi struck twice more, stepping clear of Klose and out on his own at the top of the all-time scoring charts.
Klose needed 24 World Cup games for his 16 goals, his final appearance coming in Germany’s 2014 triumph — that tight, suffocating 1-0 win over Messi’s Argentina in extra time. Now, a decade later, Messi has pushed the bar higher, with 18 goals in a FIFA-record 28 World Cup appearances.
Chasing records, managing risk
The numbers keep stacking up. Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup appearances, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho in an exclusive club. He has 201 caps for Argentina, a career of almost unimaginable longevity compressed into a tournament that still demands more from him.
Another challenger lurks in the background. Kylian Mbappe has already matched Klose’s 16 World Cup goals after scoring twice in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq. He sits on four for this tournament but drew a blank in France’s 4-1 victory over Norway in his final group game.
For now, though, Scaloni’s priority is not the record book but the calendar.
Messi arrived at this World Cup after managing a minor hamstring issue at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. It hasn’t visibly hampered him in the group stage, but Argentina’s staff know what lies ahead if they are serious about returning to another World Cup final.
The knockout round for La Albiceleste starts next Friday in South Florida. In this expanded 48-team format, a run all the way to the final on July 19 would mean five matches in 17 days. Every sprint, every twist, every minute matters.
So Jordan will see Messi, but not from the first whistle. Scaloni has chosen caution over spectacle — a calculated gamble that Argentina’s depth can finish the group job without their greatest player from the outset.
The question now is simple: when the real jeopardy begins next week, how much more history does Messi have left in those legs?
