Lionel Scaloni, the coach of the Argentine national team, could not hold back his tears, moved by an Argentine journalist who cried heavily during the press conference before the “Tango” match against Venezuela in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup finals.

Argentina, the reigning World Cup champion, will host Venezuela early Friday at the Monumental stadium in the 17th and penultimate round of the qualifiers.

Argentine network “TyC Sports” reported that the journalist burst into tears amid circulating information that star Lionel Messi might play his last match for the national team in his home country, which deeply affected coach Scaloni.

During the conference, when Scaloni noticed a journalist crying intensely, he asked, “Is he crying? Is he emotional?” amid laughter from those present.

In the press conference, Scaloni spoke movingly about Messi, saying, “I’ve never seen a player like him before, he offers pure joy, he is with us today and we must enjoy his presence.”

He added, “I played with him, being his teammate and able to pass the ball to him was wonderful, then being his coach in the World Cup and winning together was exciting. Over time, we will realize the value of all this. Tomorrow will be an emotional match.”

Scaloni concluded, “It certainly won’t be his last match in Argentina, because if he decides so, we will make sure he plays another. We will find the right timing to do that.”

Messi hinted a few days ago at his imminent international retirement after the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Answering a question about the Argentina-Venezuela match, Messi said, “It will be a very special match for me because it is the last in the qualifiers (in my country).”

He added, “I don’t know if there will be other friendly matches after that, but yes, it is a very special match, and that’s why my family will be with me, my wife, my children, my parents, my siblings, and as many relatives of my wife as possible, and we will take the experience this way.”

Messi concluded, “After that, as I said, I don’t know what will happen, but we all go with a winning mentality.”

Before the early Friday match, Messi (38 years old) has worn the Argentine national team jersey in 193 matches, scoring 112 goals and assisting 61 others, according to the famous Transfermarkt website.

Messi led the “Tango” to win 4 titles: Copa America twice (2021 and 2024), the World Cup (Qatar 2022), and the Finalissima “Latin European Super Cup.”

It is worth noting that Argentina has qualified for the finals scheduled for next summer and leads the qualifiers with 35 points, 10 points ahead of Ecuador in second place, with two rounds remaining.