
Lionel Scaloni: The Youngest Manager to Win The World Cup
Lionel Scaloni found it difficult to put into words what making the final meant to him. Imagine what he’s feeling now.
At 44 years of age, he’s just become the youngest manager to win the World Cup since his compatriot Cesar Luis Menotti (39), and he’s done it a year after leading Argentina to the Copa America – the nation’s first major international trophy at senior level for 28 years.
Having Messi helps, but let’s not forget how many coaches tried and failed to get the best out of the little genius. And during his peak years too.

What Scaloni has done, then, is truly remarkable. He inherited a group of players left devastated by their last-16 elimination by France in Russia in 2018. On Sunday, he got the better of Didier Deschamps in an epic encounter through a combination of tactics and sheer force of will.
Penalties are obviously a lottery but Scaloni, just as he did against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, revived his side with some crucial substitutions (particularly the introduction of Leandro Paredes) that saw the momentum shift back in Argentina’s favour.
The camaraderie he has instilled in this side is truly remarkable. He has achieved that all-to-rare feat of creating a club spirit in an international set-up.
He was by no means a popular appointment four years ago; now, though, he’s the second-most popular Lionel in Argentina!