There will be a long -awaited game Scaloni and the players: why is it important to play against a European?

“Where are you from? Argentine! Hello, brother”the voice was cut off in clear Spanish ported. There, in the middle of Westminster Bridge, with Big Ben as a witness, Bamba, a 40-year-old Senegalese living in Argentina, could not cope with his genius and when he saw the accent of the special envoy of Clarion in London did not hesitate to start the dialogue. Presents oneself. Next to him was his friend. Samba, 42 years old. The two lived in Argentina for over 10 years and there they even started a family. And they say they are encouraging Lionel Messi and the National Team, who will arrive in the English capital on Tuesday to face the final with Italy, this Wednesday at Wembley. None of them had tickets for that match, but they made sure they would make it impossible to get there. If they succeed, they will witness a great crossover, but a strange and unusual event: see Lionel Scaloni’s team face a rival in Europe.

Because that’s what Finalissima is about for Argentina. This is a good opportunity to measure forces against an opponent from the Old Continentsomething that only happened once in this cycle, with Germany in 2019 (it was a 2-2 draw).

yes he has barely faced a team from that continent in the 45 games he has played. That goes a long way to explaining the near-desperate request of the Pujato-born coach to get this kind of matchup before the World Cup in Qatar, which starts in November.

And in a few days he will have another test since that is confirmed next Sunday they will play against Estonia at Osasuna stadium, in Pamplona. Although he is not a first-rate opponent, he serves to continue oiling the gear of Scaloneta who seeks to stretch the undefeated who already have 31 presentations. That would also be at stake at Wembley, of course.

“He was the European champion, if he was in the World Cup he would have been a favorite. He was unlucky, he was able to qualify without the playoffs, but for football reasons he was left without the World Cup. It is a good test to continue to grow, improve and come to Qatar in the best way, “Lionel Messi said in a note with TyC Sports regarding this Wednesday’s promise.

And I added: “It is insane that Italy has won the European Championship and not the World Cup for what it is throughout history. Unfortunately, I had teammates and great friends on the team, especially Verratti, who helped me a lot when I arrived in Paris. It’s embarrassing. ”And like Leo, most of the Albiceleste squad think, they’re eager to face another test after so many fights against the South Americans.

The story is not new. It has come a long time. It’s hard for Argentina to find matches with Europeans because of calendar issues. Of the last 13 technicians the National Team has, César Luis Menotti had the most crossings among those from the other side of the Atlantic: 44 of 78. Then came Carlos Salvador Bilardo, with 25 of 79.

Of the two world champion coaches here, the others have no more than 30 per cent of matches against European teams: Basile played 11 of 48; Passarella, 12 of 52; Bielsa, 10 of 68; Pekerman, 8 of 27; Coco in her second cycle played 5 of 28; Maradona, 7 of 24; Batista, 5 of 17; Sabella, 12 of 41; Martino, just 3 of 29; Bauza or; and Sampaoli 6 of 15.

Rodolfo Kralj, the Croatian who became Menotti’s advisor itself formed the international agenda for Flaco in the 1970s, that He said it was necessary to play against rivals in Europe to have experience and because of world cups you always have to beat them. In 1978, Argentina played five of seven World Cup matches with teams from Europe.

With the small number of promises left before the appointment in Qatar, Scaloni -makes- strength to see their faces against teams from that side of the world. In Italy it will always be special because history remembers the paths traversed in the World Cups of 74, 78, 82, 86 and 90. It is a fascinating fight with the azzurros as dominators since they won six of the 15 fights in which they faced off. Argentina won four and tied the other five.