Argentina shows first hints of post-Messi era, beats Bolivia 4-0

The Argentine men’s national football team secured a 4-0 win over Bolivia on Wednesday, marking the first game since former captain Lionel Messi announced his retirement.

Goals by Lautaro Martínez, Nicolás Paz, Cristian “Cuti” Romero — who was named captain — and José López sealed the deal in the first road test of what the future holds for the Albiceleste in the post-Messi era.

The team coached by Lionel Scaloni hosted its Bolivian counterpart at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba province. The stadium cut a ghostly profile at only 50% capacity as Argentina served a sanction imposed by world football governing body FIFA for discriminatory chants and insults made by Argentine spectators during the 2026 World Cup.

Going up against a rival that looked to defend deep and waste time, Argentina took control of the match from the get-go.

The Albiceleste’s play flowed as it did at the height of Scaloni’s tenure, and just 19 minutes in, Lautaro Martínez scored from a pass into space by Alexis Mac Allister.

Ten minutes later, a great pass from Exequiel Palacios set up Nicolás Paz one-on-one, and he chipped the ball over the goalkeeper, evoking memories of Messi.

Bolivia sought to press higher and gain some agency in the second half, but it was to no avail. In the 53rd minute, Romero headed in a well-executed set piece by Paz to score his first goal as Argentina captain and make it 3-0.

The final third of the match saw the game lose some luster as a deluge of substitutes looked to find their footing. In the final minutes of the game, López took advantage of a loose ball inside the box to poke home the final 4-0.

Evolution, not revolution Scaloni seemed to begin building the post-Messi era on the foundations of the Qatar 2022 champions, with several key members of that team forming the spine of the side. Lisandro Martínez and Romero at the back, Mac Allister in the middle, and the duo of Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez up front all proved key.

However, the looming prospect of the first major international tournament without Messi among the ranks seems to have set in motion the team renovation many called for after the 2024 Copa América.

The historic duo of Gonzalo Montiel and Nahuel Molina, who shared the right-back spot for most of Scaloni’s tenure, lost out to an ever-impressive Agustín Giay, while 22-year-old Román Vega made his debut at left-back ahead of Nicolás Tagliafico or Facundo Medina.

Rodrigo De Paul’s absence was brilliantly covered by Palacios, as Mac Allister and, to a greater extent, Paz stepped into the creative gap left by Messi. After missing out on a World Cup spot, former River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono returned and impressed.

Apart from Vega, four other players made their official national team debuts: midfielders Santiago Simón and Ezequiel “Equi” Fernández, defender Valentín Gómez and 18-year-old Boca Juniors forward Leonel Flores.

‘We’ll keep playing the same way’ Head coach Lionel Scaloni seemed pleased with the work this team did on the pitch, in what was undoubtedly a successful first step into a brave new world without Messi. 

“The boys took on this match like you have to when wearing this shirt,” he said. “Everyone wants to contribute their part.”

In the pre-match conference, the Argentina coach refused to comment on who the candidates to take over Messi’s No. 10 shirt will be, insisting that nobody will take it until the star’s last game on Tuesday.

The win will surely help ease Scaloni’s worries about the future. The coach admitted, following the World Cup final defeat to Spain, that it would be “hard to build a team like [that one] again.”

While he hinted at a contract renewal beyond his current expiry date in December 2026 during the pre-match press conference, a first Messi-less win will surely go a long way in that regard.

“You could see the team’s identity, and that’s something we’ll respect regardless of who’s playing,” he said.

Scaloni went on to admit that “Messi is irreplaceable,” but insisted Argentina’s challenge is to “keep playing the same way.”