Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was so overcome with emotion before the 2022 World Cup final against France that he was unable to finish his pre-match team talk, players have revealed ahead of this year’s tournament. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and assistant coach Walter Samuel all recalled the scene at Argentina’s Qatar University base on the day of the final, speaking in the Flow docuseries ‘The Scaloni Method’. Martínez set the scene. “We walked into the meeting. Scaloni was on one side, and there were 20 chairs facing him. We were all looking at Scaloni as he spoke.” The goalkeeper recalled the few instructions Scaloni managed — telling Di María to target Koundé on the left — before everything fell apart. “He’d been talking for two minutes and suddenly he started crying. He said, ‘Well, I want to tell you…’ and he cried and cried. When he wanted to speak, it was even worse.” La charla técnica antes de la final de Qatar 2022 ante Francia. pic.twitter.com/KfI4qF2B28 — Roberto Parrottino (@rparrottino) June 2, 2026 Also Read | Why Messi’s room number has Argentina dreaming of fourth star and his hamstring has them worried Messi confirmed it, with a smile. “When he’s about to speak, he says, ‘I can’t, I can’t.’ Then he asks Pablo (Aimar) to continue, and Pablo replies, ‘Me neither, me neither.’” The task then passed to Samuel, known for his seriousness. He couldn’t speak either. Then to video analyst Matías Manna. “They sent Mati to talk. And Mati goes: ‘Well… we should… all be proud…’ Even worse! So nervous,” Martínez recalled, laughing. Samuel admitted what it had become. “We sometimes tease him because we say, ‘Oh, here comes the crybaby.’ And that time he came, but he came to everyone. We couldn’t talk. I think it was the worst team talk in the world.” De Paul offered a different reading. “It was a talk in his own way. He surely conveyed what he wanted. Sometimes you don’t need to say much for us to understand.” Hours later, Argentina won on penalties at Lusail Stadium.
ARG coach Scaloni cried before 2022 World Cup final, couldn’t deliver team talk
