Diego Placente is set to become the new Argentina U20 national team coach.
Placente will replace Javier Mascherano who will be stepping down as coach of the Argentina U20 national team to manage Inter Miami. Placente has been managing the Argentina U15 and U17 teams.
He would be coaching the team at the 2025 South American U20 tournament that will be taking place in Peru.
Speaking at Inter Miami’s end-of-year press conference on Friday, co-owner Jorge Mas addressed Lionel Messi’s future with the team. Here’s what Mas had to say:
“Messi’s contract expiring in 2025? Leo and I will sit down and discuss the future. I fully expect that in 2026, when our new stadium opens, Messi will be our number 10.”
The 37-year-old Argentine superstar is under contract with Inter Miami CF until the end of 2025. Messi joined the club as a free agent in July 2023, after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Javier Mascherano is set to be announced as the new coach of Inter Miami and step down as coach of the Argentina U20 national team.
Mascherano will be the new coach of Inter Miami. According to César Luis Merlo, Mascherano will coach Javier Mascherano in Miami and he will sign a long term deal with the club.
He coached the Argentina national team at the 2023 U20 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic games.
Emiliano MartÃnez has become the third goalkeeper with the most matches for the Argentina national team.
MartÃnez started for Argentina in their 1-0 win against Peru in the World Cup qualifiers and that match brought him to 49 with the Argentina national team, equaling Roberto Abbondanzieri. MartÃnez played his first match with Argentina in 2021 and has won the World Cup, the Finalissima and two Copa America trophies.
Roberto Abbondanzieri, also on 49 matches, was part of the 2006 World Cup team and the 2007 Copa America team. In second place is Ubaldo Fillol with 54 games. Regarded by many as the best Argentine goalkeeper ever, he played with Argentina from 1974-1985, winning the 1978 World Cup.
Sergio Romero has played 96 matches, the most out of any Argentine goalkeeper for the national team. Romero was part of the 2010 and 2014 World Cup team and the 2011, 2014 and 2015 Copa America tournaments.
The Argentina national team wrapped up 2024 with a 1–0 victory over Peru at La Bombonera. It was another successful year for Lionel Scaloni’s team, both in terms of results and securing the Copa América title. Additionally, La Albiceleste finished the year leading the South America World Cup Qualifiers and remained at the top of the FIFA Rankings for the second consecutive year.
Argentina played 16 matches in 2024: four friendlies, six Copa América games, and six World Cup Qualifiers. The team secured 12 victories, drew two matches, and lost two. They scored 34 goals and conceded only eight.
