World Cup champion coach Lionel Scaloni returned home to Mallorca this morning when he landed at Palma airport from Buenos Aires after celebrating the World Cup title in Qatar and Christmas with his team.
The Argentina coach has lived on the island with his family for many years and is glad to be back and is looking forward to celebrating New Year in Mallorca.
At Son Sant Joan airport, Scaloni, who played for Mallorca and Deportivo La Coruña, was greeted by a group of fans, with whom he took photographs.
Argentine football chief Claudio Tapia said on Monday that he is confident Scaloni will continue as national team manager following the Albiceleste’s World Cup triumph.
Scaloni’s contract expires on December 31 but the Argentine Football Association (AFA) wants to secure the 44-year-old on another four-year term after he led the South American country to its third World Cup title in Qatar earlier this month.
“I have no doubt that he will continue to be the head coach of the Argentina team,” AFA president Tapia told reporters eight days after the Albiceleste’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in Lusail.
“We are both men of our word, we shook hands, we said yes to each other. He is currently traveling but as soon as he comes back we are going to finalize it.”
Scaloni originally took charge on an interim basis in the wake of Jorge Sampaoli’s sacking after the 2018 World Cup.
The former Real Mallorca winger is now seen as indispensable, having guided the Albiceleste to the Copa America and World Cup titles in the past 18 months.