Lionel Messi will start on the bench against Jordan as Argentina rest its record-chasing captain

The decision

Argentina has already secured first place in Group J with wins over Algeria (3-0) and Austria (2-0). Head coach Lionel Scaloni used Friday's press conference at Arlington's stadium to announce that Lionel Messi would not be in the starting lineup. "Leo will go to the bench," Scaloni said. "I'll hold off on the final starting lineup, but Leo will come in later." The match is a dead rubber for Argentina; Jordan have lost both of their games and cannot advance.

Leo will start on the bench.

Scaloni was pressed on whether he would have made the same call against a stronger opponent. He answered directly: "It would be a completely disrespectful way to make that decision." The coach framed the rotation as a reward for squad players who have trained hard without featuring. "The great merit of everything that's been done goes to the boys who are always there and train to the max," he said. "There are great players who also deserve to come in."

Messi's tournament so far

Messi, who turned 39 on Wednesday, has scored all five of Argentina's goals at this World Cup. His hat-trick against Algeria was followed by a brace against Austria. Those strikes lifted his all-time World Cup tally to 18, two clear of the previous record held by Germany's Miroslav Klose (16). In the golden boot race, Messi leads with five goals, one ahead of Norway's Erling Haaland, Brazil's Vinicius Jr and France's Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, each on four.

Left-back Nicolás Tagliafico, who faced the media alongside Scaloni, said Messi was in exceptional form. "In Leo, you see everything; he's at the exact same level he was at in 2022, or even better," Tagliafico said. "He's enjoying it, and we're enjoying it as well."

He's at the exact same level he was at in 2022, or even better. He's enjoying it, and we're enjoying it as well.

What it means for the knockout stage

If Messi sat out entirely, he would face an 11-day gap without competitive action before Argentina's round-of-32 match on July 3 in Miami. Scaloni confirmed he would appear as a substitute, ensuring some rhythm. The opponents in the next round are likely to be Cape Verde, second in Group H, per live projections cited by The Athletic.

Team outlook

Argentina are dealing with one injury concern: defender Cristian Romero, who left the Austria match with a knee problem, has resumed on-field training but is expected to miss the Jordan game. Scaloni said he expects Jordan to set up defensively with a back five and acknowledged Argentina might need to adjust tactically. Tagliafico stressed the squad's mindset: "We cannot let our guard down, we cannot relax, even though we have qualified already."

I'd love to give everybody minutes and when I have the chance I do and it's because they deserve it. They are fantastic players too.