Scaloni Turns to Senesi After Balerdi Injury
Lionel Scaloni’s World Cup blueprint lasted only a few training sessions before reality tore straight through it.
Defender Leonardo Balerdi, pencilled in as part of Argentina’s backline options, suffered a severe muscle tear in the soleus of his right leg during training, forcing the head coach into an early reshuffle of his tournament squad. One misstep, one grimace, and an entire plan had to be rewritten.
The national team confirmed the diagnosis with a stark statement on social media and in front of the cameras: “Defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and will not be able to be part of the squad that will play in the World Cup.”
A brutal line for any player to read. Even harsher for one on the brink of a global stage.
Scaloni refused to rush the response. He delayed his final call until after Argentina’s pre-tournament friendly against Iceland, using the game not as a formality but as a live laboratory. Systems were tested, partnerships probed, roles reassessed. This was not a cosmetic change; it was structural.
“Today’s test left me satisfied and cleared up many doubts regarding what the team might be lacking... Maybe I’ll take one or two more days to announce Balerdi’s replacement,” Scaloni said, revealing just how carefully he intended to weigh the decision.
The pressure finally told in favour of Marcos Senesi.
On standby and waiting in the wings, the 29-year-old was chosen to step into the vacancy and will now travel to the Albiceleste camp in Kansas City. For him, the last 24 hours have been nothing short of transformative.
Senesi arrives with only three international caps, but with a career arc that has long hinted at a bigger stage. Once of Bournemouth, he famously turned down a call-up from Italy, backing his belief that a path with Argentina would eventually open. That conviction has now been rewarded at the highest possible level.
His club future has already taken a sharp upward turn. Senesi has agreed a free transfer to Tottenham from July 1, a move that underlines his growing reputation in Europe. Now, before he has even pulled on the Spurs shirt, he will share a dressing room with future club team-mate Cristian Romero in a World Cup squad loaded with defensive talent.
It is a defensive unit that first introduced Senesi to international football in 2022, when he debuted against Estonia. Back then, he was a newcomer catching a glimpse of what might lie ahead. This time, he arrives not as a curiosity, but as a solution.
For Balerdi, the World Cup dream stops in the treatment room. For Senesi, the same injury has kicked open a door that once seemed to be closing. Argentina move on, their plans altered but not derailed, with a backline now carrying a fresh face and a defender with everything to prove on the biggest stage of all.
