No one would have expected a former Hammer to be in charge of Messi's final international game
Lionel Scaloni is remembered by West Ham United fans as the man who cost them the 2006 FA Cup. Scaloni should have smashed the ball out of play in the dying minutes of the final. However, his clearance eventually landed at the feet of Steven Gerrard, who fired the ball past Shaka Hislop to equalise in the 91st minute.
West Ham went on to lose to Liverpool on penalties in Cardiff. Many West Ham players have said Scaloni could not stop crying on the journey back to London. Scaloni was only on loan at West Ham from Deportivo La Coruña 20 years ago. He made 17 appearances in total, and was a solid replacement for Tomas Repka, who had left in the January transfer window to return to Sparta Prague.
Scaloni did not join West Ham permanently as a result of his mistake against the Reds. He went on to play for Racing de Santander, Lazio, Mallorca, and Atalanta. The right-back has spoken philosophically about the mistake as a sliding-doors moment, as he went on to meet his wife when he was at Mallorca.
After retiring from playing, Scaloni worked as Jorge Sampaoli's assistant at Sevilla. He was also Sampaoli's assistant with Argentina, for which Scaloni has seven caps. Sampaoli was sacked after La Albiceleste lost to France in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup. Scaloni was then Sampaoli's replacement.
There were apprehensions in Argentina when Scaloni got the job, with Diego Maradona being a vocal critic. However, these were soon dashed as Scaloni won Argentina two Copa Americas and the World Cup. These rescued Lionel Messi's international legacy, as he had previously not won anything with La Albiceleste.
Lionel Scaloni saved Messi's international career
Many fans also put Messi winning the World Cup in 2022 as the deciding factor that he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese had won the European Championship, but the World Cup eluded him. Ronaldo's international career also ended recently on a damp squib after he was benched against Norway. However, Messi will have one more game against Benin tonight as a farewell to the Argentine national team.
The World Cup last summer did not go Argentina's way as they lost in the final to Spain. La Albiceleste were also heavily criticised for their lack of sportsmanship, dirty tactics, and the unfurling of political messages. However, Messi should be able to end his international career on a high against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Messi is still contracted to Inter Miami until 2028. Even there, he was coached by a former Hammer, Javier Mascherano, who played with Messi for Argentina and Barcelona. However, there were rumours that there could be an early retirement for Messi following the death of his father this year.
West Ham are in the Championship now, but the club is still massive. Often, there are Hammers links to the biggest stories, and Messi's retirement is no exception, with Scaloni in charge. West Ham fans may not have forgiven him for his mistake in the cup final, but he has gone on to work wonders with Argentina.
