Argentina separates from their biggest World Cup victory since 1986 by two wins.
When national team captain Lionel Scaloni, 44, talks about his players, he gets moved.
– This team plays for the people of Argentina, Scaloni says, struggling to hold back tears.
When Argentina last won the World Cup, Lionel Scaloni was eight years old. Now, 36 years later, it was he who led the country from the sidelines to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup.
And he did it with a star-studded cast, some of whom represented on a daily basis big clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Juventus.
When he spoke about the team in a televised interview with FIFA, he found it hard to hold back his tears.
This team plays for the people of Argentina, for the family and for honor. He says they don’t play for money.
Lionel Scaloni: We will give everything
Then Scaloni gets off topic.
– You make me emotional, he says to the reporter with sparkling eyes and a broken voice.
He also thanks the captain of the national team for the support the national team has received.
– to see all these pictures of people putting things away at work or coming here. We hope to give them joy again. We know we are dependent on certain circumstances, but we will give everything, as promised.
The World Cup semi-final match between Argentina and Croatia starts today (Tuesday) at 20.00.