Scaloni revealed how long they followed Maffeo

Mallorca player Pablo Maffeo, Called up for the first time by the Argentine team, he has long been on the Albiceleste coach’s radar, Lionel Scaloni as stated in a press conference at the facilities of Argentine Football Association (AFA) in Ezeiza.

“We are following Maffeo because of a series of problems we have with that position. “We follow him before the Copa América and before the World Cup,” declared the Santa Fe native.

In a conference before the match against the national team of Uruguay, corresponding to the fifth date of the South American qualifiers for World Cup 2026Scaloni said that the reasons why Maffeo decided to join the Albiceleste is more than sports.

“I don’t think he decided to join the team because we are world champions. It is something deeper than that; For example, my children were born outside, one inside Rome and another one at spain, so tomorrow they can decide where they will play,” said the coach.

The player born in San Juan Despí (Barcelona) owes his Argentine roots to his mother, who he called when he found out about the call. “The first thing I did was call my mom, who I thought I was playing one of my jokes on him. I hung up, I started screaming and the truth is that it was very good,” commented the player in a recent video released by the Mallorcan club.

Scaloni explained that they want to get to know him more whether he will get minutes or not and said that he is adapting well. “He is happy to join the team. He played Nico Gonzalez and therefore he took it upon himself to quickly add him to the group,” the coach said of the Fiorentina attacker who shared minutes with Maffeo at German club VfB Stuggart.

The Spanish-Argentine revealed that, although the stars of the Albiceleste shirt are important, he is very excited about the opportunity. And most of all he showed that he was impatient to play on the sidelines Lionel Messi.

This is not the first time that the player has shared the court with the captain of the Albiceleste. In 2017, while Maffeo played for Girona, He had to defend Messi for a whole game.

On that occasion scoring against ‘Pulga’ was extraordinary, and would be remembered years later by the footballer himself as one of the “hardest” to remember.

Maffeo joked that although the former Barcelona playerIf he doesn’t remember that anecdote, he will never forget it and indeed the number 10 shirt – with whom he traded it that day – is framed in his house as a treasure for him.

The sure thing is yours relationship with Messiwith whom he has already played in training matches in the same team as the star, will be stronger from now on.