Scaloni Calls Up Senesi After Balerdi's Injury Setback
Argentina’s World Cup preparations have been jolted by injury, but Lionel Scaloni has moved quickly to steady his defensive plans, calling on Marcos Senesi after a brutal setback for Leonardo Balerdi.
Balerdi suffered a severe muscle tear in the soleus of his right leg during training, a blow serious enough to end his World Cup dream before it had even begun. Medical tests confirmed the worst, and the national team made it official with a stark statement: the defender “will not be able to be part of the squad that will play in the World Cup.”
For Scaloni, it meant ripping up part of a carefully drawn tournament blueprint. He refused to rush the decision. Instead, he pushed it back until after Argentina’s pre-tournament friendly against Iceland, using the game as a live laboratory to probe weaknesses and weigh up alternatives.
“Today’s test left me satisfied and cleared up many doubts regarding what the team might be lacking,” he said afterwards. “Maybe I’ll take one or two more days to announce Balerdi’s replacement.”
The delay was deliberate. The coaching staff wanted to be sure, both tactically and emotionally, before closing the door on Balerdi and opening it for someone else. Behind the scenes, there was clear frustration and genuine sympathy for the sidelined defender, whose rise into the squad had been built on patience and persistence.
When the verdict came, Senesi’s phone lit up.
The 29-year-old, who had been on standby, was told he would be the man to step in. Within hours he was packing for Kansas City, his status shifting from hopeful reserve to full member of a star-studded Albiceleste defensive unit.
It caps a whirlwind 24 hours for a player with only three international caps. Senesi, the former Bournemouth centre-back, recently agreed a free transfer to Tottenham starting July 1. Now, even before he pulls on a Spurs shirt, he will share a dressing room with future club team-mate Cristian Romero on the biggest stage of all.
For Argentina, the change is significant but not destabilising. Senesi is no stranger to this environment; his debut came back in 2022 against Estonia, a quieter introduction compared to the glare he now steps into. The staff trust his profile, his left foot, his timing in the air. That is why he was on the standby list in the first place.
For Balerdi, it is a cruel twist. For Senesi, it is the door he has been waiting years to walk through.
World Cups often turn on such moments. The question now is simple: how far can Senesi run with the chance that fate has just handed him?
