CORNERFLICK
Lionel Scaloni has become only the second Argentina coach to take the national team to successive World Cup finals, matching Carlos Bilardo’s record.
Bilardo led Argentina to the 1986 final, where Diego Maradona’s side beat West Germany, and returned to the final four years later in Italy, losing 1-0 to the same opponents after Andreas Brehme’s penalty.
Scaloni won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 after taking charge in 2018 without previous senior head-coach experience. He has since refreshed part of the squad while keeping much of the core that lifted the trophy four years ago.
His path has another clear link with Bilardo’s: both coaches built their teams around a world-class number 10, with Maradona under Bilardo and Lionel Messi under Scaloni.
Argentina now face Spain in the final, giving Scaloni the chance to move beyond Bilardo and become the first coach to win two World Cups with the country.