Argentina’s head coach, Lionel Scaloni, expressed his support for forward Julián Álvarez, wishing him the best in his new chapter with Atlético Madrid, the Spanish club he recently joined under the management of fellow Argentine, Diego Simeone.

"These are personal decisions. He left a great club (Manchester City) to join another great club. We hope it goes well for him because if he does well, it benefits the national team. The decision is his, and we don’t interfere," said the coach about 'La Araña' when asked about him during a press conference at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) headquarters in Ezeiza.

Álvarez’s move was one of several changes involving Argentina's international players during the last transfer window, leading to Scaloni being questioned on the matter. The coach mentioned that it’s not so much the fact that players switch teams but rather "the timing" of these moves, especially with the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup underway. Argentina is set to face Chile and Colombia in the next six days for matchdays seven and eight.

"They’re just getting to their new clubs, getting to know their coach, and some haven’t even played yet... That could affect us, but in two or three months, it will be a different story," Scaloni clarified. Another topic Scaloni touched on was the return of two World Cup champions, Germán Pezzella and Marcos Acuña, to the Argentine league, both having signed with River Plate.

"They raise the standard of Argentine football because, besides being world champions, they’ve done things very well, and we wish them the best," said Scaloni, adding that having these players in Argentina is "better for everyone." However, he emphasized that call-ups are always based on the team's needs, not just on where the players are based.

Argentina, currently leading with 15 points from 6 matches, faces a double-header in the South American World Cup qualifiers this week: at home against Chile on Thursday the 5th and away against Colombia on Tuesday the 10th.