Lionel Scaloni believes Argentina’s debutants made a strong case for inclusion in next summer’s World Cup squad during their 6-0 defeat to Puerto Rico.
Scaloni watched on as his team recorded an impressive victory at the Chase Stadium, with Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister and Inter’s Lautaro Martinez both gaining the lead.
And on his return to the national team, Lionel Messi also provided two assists, while Gonzalo Montiel put himself on the scoresheet with a fine volley in the first half.
Scaloni opted to make nine changes to the team that defeated Venezuela last time out, including Jose Lopez, who made his debut for the Albiceleste.
Lautaro Rivero, Anibal Moreno and Facundo Cambeses also made their international successes, bringing to 55 the number of debuts Scaloni has given during his tenure.
“Luckily we were able to see guys who didn’t have many minutes yet. What we analyze first is how they approach it,” Scaloni said.
“They are important players and Puerto Rico allowed us to see them play. I made my debut in the national team in a match with Libya and I have etched it in my memory.”
“From now on they will have to keep performing to cause problems for the other players and also the coach.”
#FriendlyInternational
@Argentina 6 (Alexis Mac Allister x2, Gonzalo Montiel, Steven Echevarría and Lautaro Martínez x2) #PuertoRico 0
End of the match!
An Albiceleste with a pure purpose pic.twitter.com/b1cDSggq2b
— Argentina National Team (@Argentina) October 15, 2025
Not to be outdone, Messi also had his say in the match with two brilliant assists in either half for Montiel and Martinez.
The 38-year-old even took his tally of international assists to 60, surpassing the previous record at that level set by former Barcelona teammate Neymar (59). He is also now two shy of a total of 400 in his professional career.
It was another stunning performance from the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who also finished the match with game-high totals for shots (eight), chances created (five) and crosses (three), while only Rodrigo De Paul registered more accurate passes (136) than Messi (75).
Messi had missed Argentina’s previous match to play for Inter Miami in the MLS, where he scored twice against Atlanta United, although Scaloni was delighted to have him back in the side against Puerto Rico.
“Yesterday I asked him if he was ready to play, and he said yes. It’s always a joy for us,” Scaloni added.
“He trained with us last week and we decided not to use him against Venezuela. We had Lautaro.” [Martinez] and Julian [Alvarez]and we had Flaco Lopez on the bench.
“He could play this match, and I can imagine both him and Rodrigo [De Paul] felt at home on the field where they play.”
A dominant display from Argentina was supported by the match statistics, with Scaloni’s team recording an expected goals (xG) total of 2.87 from their 25 shots, 11 of which were on target, compared to Puerto Rico’s 0.21 from their five attempts.
Although the match against a team ranked 155th in the world was a non-event as a spectacle, Scaloni reiterated that a lot of work had been done off the field as they continued their preparations to defend their World Cup crown.
“We were able to train more intensively than normal,” Scaloni said.
“She [the debutants] They are valid players who have shown that they can be here, so we knew they were going to perform.
“And regardless of the opponent, we have our level and they have to get used to that.”
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