Messi Benched for Argentina's Final Group Match vs
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- Lionel Scaloni confirmed Messi will start Argentina's final group match against Jordan on the bench, stressing the decision was not injury-related and that Messi will "most likely come on in the second half."
- Messi leads the Golden Boot standings with five goals from his first two matches, including a double against Austria that made him the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer.
- Scaloni said both he and Messi "talked and agreed that it was better that way" to keep the 39-year-old in competitive form, while explicitly separating this selection from knockout-round plans: "The decision of who plays tomorrow is not related to who plays in the next match."
- The match takes place in Dallas, kicking off at 03:00 BST on Sunday, with Scaloni warning that Jordan "are a good opponent" whose fast forwards must be accounted for.
- Kylian Mbappe failed to add to his four goals in France's 4-1 win over Norway, a game in which Erling Haaland — also on four — stayed on the bench.
- Ousmane Dembele buried a first-half hat-trick in that same France-Norway match to climb to four tournament goals and re-enter the Golden Boot picture.
Why it matters: By resting Messi for the group finale, Scaloni keeps the Golden Boot leader (five goals, two clear of Dembele, Mbappe, and Haaland) fresh for the knockouts while signaling that Jordan selection carries no signal about lineup choices in the next match. The bench call costs Argentina nothing at the top of the scoring chart and keeps the 39-year-old's minutes managed deliberately.
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