Champions League’s group stage is done and all top five European domestic leagues have called off their duties as the World Cup 2022 approaches. With only a couple of weeks left before the biggest football festival starts, all the players have been freed for their national duties. Playing in his fifth consecutive world cup, Lionel Messi will be leading one last mission to bag his most-awaited title in the Argentina shirt.
The 35-year-old Argentine captain has already declared it will be his last world cup, so undoubtedly he will give everything to take the trophy home while his men will be devoted on the field to make their idol win what the world is waiting for the past four world cups or so. So, here is our predicted squad of Argentina for the World Cup.
Final Argentina Squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Franco Armani | River Plate (ARG) | 36 | 18 |
| Goalkeeper | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa (ENG) | 30 | 18 |
| Goalkeeper | Geronimo Rulli | Villarreal (ESP) | 30 | 4 |
| Defender | Marcos Acuna | Sevilla (ESP) | 30 | 42 |
| Defender | Juan Foyth | Villarreal (ESP) | 24 | 15 |
| Defender | Lisandro Martinez | Man United (ENG) | 24 | 9 |
| Defender | Nahuel Molina | Atletico Madrid (ESP) | 24 | 18 |
| Defender | Gonzalo Montiel | Sevilla (ESP) | 25 | 18 |
| Defender | Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica (POR) | 34 | 92 |
| Defender | German Pezzella | Real Betis (ESP) | 31 | 31 |
| Defender | Cristian Romero | Tottenham (ENG) | 24 | 12 |
| Defender | Nicolas Tagliafico | Lyon (FRA) | 30 | 42 |
| Midfielder | Rodrigo De Paul | Atletico Madrid (ESP) | 28 | 43 |
| Midfielder | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica (POR) | 21 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez | Sevilla (ESP) | 34 | 15 |
| Midfielder | Alexis Mac Allister | Brighton (ENG) | 23 | 7 |
| Midfielder | Exequiel Palacios | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 24 | 20 |
| Midfielder | Leandro Paredes | Juventus (ITA) | 28 | 45 |
| Midfielder | Guido Rodriguez | Real Betis (ESP) | 28 | 25 |
| Forward | Julian Alvarez | Man City (ENG) | 22 | 11 |
| Forward | Joaquin Correa | Inter Milan (ITA) | 28 | 18 |
| Forward | Angel Di Maria | Juventus (ITA) | 34 | 123 |
| Forward | Paulo Dybala | AS Roma (ITA) | 28 | 34 |
| Forward | Nico Gonzalez | Fiorentina (ITA) | 24 | 21 |
| Forward | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan (ITA) | 25 | 40 |
| Forward | Lionel Messi | PSG (FRA) | 35 | 164 |
Argentina Matches in Group Stage
Argentina is grouped in Group C alongside Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. They will play their first game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, November 22. Have a look at their matches schedules, and stadium.
Argentina Group Stage Matches
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 22 | Argentina vs. S. Arabia | 5 a.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | Argentina vs. Mexico | 2 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 30 | Poland vs. Argentina | 2 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
Players Who Didn’t Play in the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Well, in the past four years, the Argentine national football team has invested a lot in their players. Manager Lionel Scaloni has made sure he has the best of the players every time they get down to the pitch. So, there are a number of players in Argentina’s squad for this (2022) World Cup who didn’t play in Russia four years back. In fact, only a handful of players have been repeated to the squad. And they are:
- Lionel Messi
- Angel Di Maria
- Paulo Dybala
- Nicolas Otamendi
- Nicolas Tagliafico
- Franco Armani
Players Playing Their Last World Cup in Argentina Shirt
With around 15 players between 20 to 30 years of age, we can say Argentina is playing with a relatively younger generation of players in this edition of the World Cup. At the same time, there are some players who won’t be playing in the 2026 World Cup in North America irrespective of their form.
We have to say with a heavy heart that “El Capitan” is playing his last World Cup, which he previously mentioned in October as well. Alongside Messi, his former Paris Saint Germain teammate Angel Di Maria will join him on the list.
Apart from these two, we can say Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez, Nicolas Otamendi, and Franco Armani are also playing their last World Cup given that they are already in their late mid-30s. However, the players have yet to announce their retirement from international football.
How Good is Argentina Team Coming to the World Cup?
Argentina is always considered the favorite to lift the World Cup even though they haven’t been as consistent in the finals. Coming up as a runner-up in the 2014 edition was their greatest achievement since they lost the 1990’s World Cup final to the same opponent (Germany). However, their recent form is quite impressive and we can say they are stronger than ever as a team. In a way, they are no longer dependent on Lionel Messi which has given them extra benefits as well as confidence in the last couple of years.
Argentina made their way to Qatar as one of the two unbeaten CONMEBOL teams. They remained unbeaten in the 17 games of the World Cup qualifiers in which they won 11 matches and drew 6. Moreover, they are currently on the longest unbeaten streak in their history.
Remaining unbeaten in 35 straight games, Argentina is now two games away from matching Italy’s 37-game unbeaten record in international football.
All the eyes will be on Lionel Messi in this World Cup since he is playing in his last World Cup. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how they perform as a team in this World Cup. We wish them all the best for all their ties.
