Argentina: Lautaro Martinez takes a swipe at Lionel Scaloni

Lautaro Martinez remained on the bench during the 2026 World Cup final, which Argentina lost to Spain (0-1 after extra time) on Sunday.

In a post on Instagram, the striker took a jab at his coach, Lionel Scaloni. He didn’t hide his disappointment at being left on the bench.

"We gave it our all. For the second World Cup in a row, we made it to the final, but this time, it just wasn’t meant to be. I’m so proud to be Argentinian. I really wanted to try to help the team yesterday (Sunday) on the pitch, but…" wrote the Inter Milan forward.

Martinez featured in Argentina’s first seven matches, but in the final, Scaloni opted to use no fewer than eight defenders, including four coming off the bench.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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