Argentina Coach Lionel Scaloni Irritated With Players After Long Day, Lionel Messi And Others Do This

Lionel Scaloni stands on the cusp of history. With two Copa America titles, a Finalissima appearance, a World Cup, and another FIFA World Cup semi-final under his belt, Scaloni continues to expand a legacy that already occupies a privileged place in the history of the Argentine national team and still has new chapters to be written at the 2026 World Cup. Two more wins and Scaloni can win a second FIFA World Cup as a coach.

Ahead of Argentina's semi-final against England, a video has gone viral in which Scaloni can be seen quite irritated as the team bus was getting delayed while the players were busy giving interviews. After he reminded them to get back to the bus, Lionel Messi and others could be seen hurrying back.

While Messi and his Argentina teammates were taking forever with interviews, coach Lionel Scaloni lost his patience and went to call them… just watch Messi's reaction pic.twitter.com/ldItRdjEfB

— Cleverly (@Cleverlydey4u) July 14, 2026

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni played down the historical rivalry with England ahead of their blockbuster FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final, insisting that the highly anticipated encounter is 'just a football match' and should not be turned into something more.

The defending champions booked their place in the last four after a hard-fought 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Argentina struggled for long periods before eventually finding a way through, with a red card for the Swiss proving to be a key turning point in the contest.

The victory set up a semi-final showdown with England on Thursday at Atlanta Stadium, adding another chapter to one of the World Cup's most storied rivalries. However, Scaloni sought to lower the temperature ahead of the high-profile clash.

"It's just a football match; let's not make it something else. We're playing a great team, led by a great coach whom I appreciate and admire a lot. It's just a football match, nothing else," he said after the match, as quoted by the Buenos Aires Herald.

Argentina and England have been involved in several tense and iconic World Cup encounters over the years. England won their controversial 1966 quarter-final 1-0, a match remembered for the sending-off of Argentina captain Antonio Rattin.

Their 1986 quarter-final became one of the most famous matches in football history, with Diego Maradona scoring both the controversial "Hand of God" goal and the celebrated "Goal of the Century" in Argentina's 2-1 victory.

The two sides met again in the Round of 16 in 1998, when Argentina advanced on penalties following a 2-2 draw in a match that saw England's David Beckham sent off. England then secured a 1-0 victory in the 2002 group stage with a Beckham penalty.

Despite Argentina's below-par performance against Switzerland, Scaloni stressed the significance of reaching another World Cup semi-final and described the last four as "a privileged place to be in football."

"It's hard not to suffer on your way to a World Cup semi-final," he said.

"Maybe we take it for granted, but it's not that easy. We have to be happy and excited, and we'll go all in with whatever we have left, down to the last drop of sweat. We're going to go for it all," Scaloni concluded

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Topics mentioned in this article

Lionel Sebastián Scaloni Argentina England 2026 FIFA World Cup Messi Football