Argentina call up Tottenham's Marcos Senesi after Leonardo Balerdi ruled out of World Cup with calf tear

Injury forces late change

Leonardo Balerdi’s hopes of featuring at the 2026 World Cup were dashed when the Marseille centre-back suffered a muscle tear in the soleus of his right leg during an Argentina training session. The 27-year-old was immediately withdrawn from Lionel Scaloni’s finalised 26-man squad, forcing the coaching staff to find a defensive replacement at short notice.

Senesi earns recall

Marcos Senesi, a 29-year-old central defender who spent last season helping Bournemouth finish sixth and qualify for Europe, was announced as Balerdi’s replacement by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) on Thursday.

“Marcos Senesi joins the Argentina squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

Senesi had been cut when Scaloni trimmed his preliminary 55-man list to the final 26 at the end of May, but the injury opened the door. The defender, already unveiled as a Tottenham Hotspur signing on Wednesday, will officially join Spurs on 1 July, forming a club centre-back pairing with fellow Argentina international Cristian Romero.

Scaloni moves swiftly

Despite initially suggesting he needed more time after Argentina’s friendly against Iceland, coach Scaloni wasted little time in calling up Senesi.

“After the game, I have a clearer idea of the team’s needs, but I still need some time to decide.”

Senesi, who has three caps since debuting in 2022 and last appeared against Mauritania in March, will join the squad in Kansas City, Missouri, where the Albiceleste are preparing for their opening match.

The road ahead

Argentina launch their title defence against Algeria on 16 June (some sources list 17 June), before facing Austria on 22 June and Jordan on 27 June in Group J. The team arrives as FIFA’s new world number one, having overtaken France, and come into the tournament after pre-World Cup friendly wins over Honduras (2-0) and Iceland (3-0).