Argentina don't need the next Messi. They need someone good enough that the question stops mattering. That's a different problem, and the 2026 World Cup — starting June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City — is where it gets answered.
Messi is still here, still demanding the ball, still carrying the side at 37. As one Argentine fan put it: "He is still the best player in the world for me." Hard to argue. But every team at this tournament will park the bus, stack bodies, and dare someone else to beat them. That someone else needs to exist.
Alvarez is the most ready
Julian Alvarez already proved his worth in Qatar — four goals including a brace in the 3-0 semi-final demolition of Croatia, starting every knockout game once he forced his way into the XI. He was 22 then. He's 26 now, with a move from Manchester City to Barcelona underway, and a maturity in his game that didn't exist four years ago.
"I have more experience now given how many matches I've played," Alvarez said ahead of the tournament. "Wearing this shirt gives you an extra push." The United States is his clearest shot yet to step out of Messi's shadow entirely. His work rate, his movement off the ball, his ability to play as a nine or a ten — he's not a like-for-like replacement for Messi. He's something more usable: a complete forward who doesn't need the ball at his feet to hurt you.
Alvarez's goal involvement odds deserve attention. He's no longer a wildcard.
Paz and Almada as the game-changers
Nico Paz is the one that gets Messi's people talking. The 21-year-old Como loanee — technically still Real Madrid's property — is left-footed, creative, dangerous from set-pieces, and was the only Argentine player Messi specifically name-checked in a list of the world's top young talents in 2025. That's an endorsement that carries weight.
His season at Como backs it up: 12 goals and 7 assists in 35 Serie A matches, helping the club qualify for the Champions League. Cesc Fabregas, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona, coached him all season and said: "If he continues like this, he can go wherever he wants." Fabregas knows what elite looks like up close. He wouldn't say that lightly.
Thiago Almada is the third name in this conversation — the Atletico Madrid playmaker who logged just six minutes in Qatar in 2022 and has since rebuilt himself entirely. Lyon, then Simeone's Atletico. Scaloni singled him out directly: "He plays with the pace and intensity that the team needs." For a coach as measured as Scaloni, that's practically a ringing endorsement.
- Julian Alvarez — 26, Barcelona, four World Cup goals in 2022, the proven commodity
- Nico Paz — 21, Como (Real Madrid loan), 12 goals/7 assists in Serie A, Messi's personal pick
- Thiago Almada — 25, Atletico Madrid, key during qualification, finally ready for a full tournament role
One Argentine fan in Singapore framed it better than most analysts have: "The answer is not really about who replaces Messi in the starting eleven, but about who comes off the bench to change the game." That's the real tactical question for Scaloni — not succession, but support. Argentina's squad depth in attack is genuinely strong. The 2026 World Cup might prove it.
Messi gets his send-off. The tournament starts June 16. And somewhere in that squad, someone is about to make this their story.
