The missing details have been agreed as Lionel Scaloni will remain until 2026 as coach of the Argentina national team.

Lionel Scaloni has won the Copa America, Finalissima and World Cup with Argentina and gets the chance to do it again. According to VarskySports, the final details which were missing for Scaloni’s new contract have been agreed.

As we reported late last month, Scaloni was set to meet with AFA president Chiqui Tapia in the first few days of February to try and agree to a new contract.

Ángel Di María spoke abotu his goal in the World Cup final against France.

Di María scored in the final of the 2008 Olympics, the Copa America final and the Finalissima. He did not expect to start in the World Cup final against France but he started and he scored. Speaking in an interview with TyC Sports, he commented on the entire World Cup tournament and wanting to continue with the Argentina national team. In the same interview, he spoke about the final itself. Here is what he had to say:

“I had a little discomfort on an old scar. Against Australia, I preferred not to play. Against the Netherlands, I was ready to play a few minutes, against Croatia too. But these are decisions that are made according to the opponent. We accept them because that’s how things work out and always fit with what the team needs.

“Scaloni made the decision. THey were going to put Coman, who is fast and he told me that he was going to put Huevo (Marcos Acuña) so that Taglia (Nicolás Tagliafico) could defend better.

“I can follow to mark the player but it is more difficult for me. I asked him to leave me a little bit more and he took me out. They are difficult decisions because they ended up with about six forwards, they played for all or nothing. It also happened to us with the Netherlands.”

About playing on the left in the World Cup final:

“Not even I expected to play on the left in the final, let alone start. The team was playing well, doing things well but Scaloni went back and showed confidence in me for a final, he went back and put me as a starter.

“I felt good in the trainings. I found out in the talk before going out onto the pitch that the team gave.

“When I saw that I was on the left, I thought that he had been confused, but after he explained that we can hurt them there, that I was going to have fun and that it was going to be the difference because it was their most “loose” point. It’s a little bit of tipping your hat to the coach who in every match does things different and because it ends up being that way.

“We hadn’t trained nothing. In training, it was almost always a line of five. I was tried a few times but on the right, as always, but just a little and nothing. And on set pieces, I switched one time each with Licha. I thought I wasn’t going to play. He surprised me by putting me on the left, but it’s their thing, which they see every day, with pictures to know where to hurt the opponent and that’s how we prepare the matches.”

Regarding his goal in the World Cup final:

“All I had to do was just push it. The marvel of that goal was made between Julián (Álvarez), Alexis (Mac Allister) and Leo (Messi). There are going to be goals and goals in finals, but I don’t think with such quality, with such freshness. I don’t know how to describe it, it was a spectacular move.

“I already knew that the goalkeeper would come out very fast, they had told me because I like to chip. But in this circumstance, he came very fast too and I saw that he had the defender so I tried to get him to pass a little over the goalkeeper.

“They had told us before the match that he was fast with his feet, so I tried to finish quickly. At that moment, as it came, I tried to go diagonal and have it pass over the goalkeeper, but the magic came from the three in midfield.

“I got emotional on the goal. It’s something I had inside me, a pain for not having played in 2014. There, I thought I was going to be on the bench and from nothing, I was a starter and could score the goal which I had dreamed about my entire life. For a moment, I had a brain freeze but at seconds, the tears came down.”

About France’s come back and if he saw the save by Emiliano Martínez in the last moment of the match:

“In a final, we have all of the best, that’s why they get to the final and it’s normal that things can happen. It could happen to the opponent but it happened this way. They have players of very high quality that fight to be among the best and it’s normal that from one moment to another they score two goals.

“I didn’t see it Dibu’s save towards the end. I saw when the ball bounced and that Cuti touched it with his head and we counter attacked. I didn’t see it, I had just covered my head because I couldn’t believe what we were experiencing at that moment. From winning 2-0 with that calmness to what was happening. We didn’t expect it.”

Ángel Di María spoke in an interview where he stated that he would like to continue with the Argentina national team until the 2024 Copa America.

Di María gave an interview with TyC Sports where he spoke about winning the World Cup, Emiliano Dibu Martínez, Enzo Fernández, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands matches. In the same interview, he spoke about his future with the Argentina national team. Regarding a conversation he had with Lionel Scaloni a few years ago:

“What I wanted was to show that I wanted to continue in the national team and to get rid of all that was being said that we had fought at the 2019 Copa America because he had taken me out. After I spoke, he began to call me on the phone. I knew I didn’t have to clarify those things but I wanted to.

“After I spoke with him, we always remember that call, every time we speak we cry because he knows how I feel about the national team. We have a mutual appreciation, in 2018 we were more friends than coach and player. After that talk, I was able to return. I told him that it doesn’t interest me to be on the bench, I want to be in the national team. Everything I do at my club is to be with the national team.”

The time he thought about retiring:

“There were two difficult moments. After the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a lot of things came to my mind. I saw my family suffering and lots of things came to mind.

“The other was after losing the semi final against Brazil at the 2019 Copa America, having thought about and nearly deciding to step aside. But I realised that I was missing something.

“I did everything well for my club but I was missing something and I had the will to keep fighting to be in the national team. I knew that Scaloni could call me up but I felt out and it hurt to watch on television.”

He also spoke about wanting to continue with the Argentina national team:

“The most (biggest trophy) has already been won. We won the three things and we are World champions. They said that the Finalissima didn’t matter, but when we won it, I felt like a World champion because winning something with the senior team is the best., whatever it is.

“The upcoming Copa America, both for myself and for Leo and for anyone else, is going to be a title that we want and that we are going to want to win and continue winning things. What is being experienced in the national team has not been seen for years.

“These kids filled my head with continuing. Lea (Paredes), Rodri (De Paul), Licha (Martínez) and Cuti (Romero) broke my balls, telling me how I was going to quit the national team, that it’s one of the things that a person loves the most.

“I started to think a little and after winning it was obvious that I wanted to stay a little longer because of everything that is going on right now. Leaving now is cutting short the joy that I could enjoy with the people, to live everything that is being lived. I feel well, when I feel like I can’t give anymore, I’ll take a step aside. I intend to get to the Copa America and if not, I will leave before, but I want to continue.”