"Messi asked me to be replaced; we will assess what he has"

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that the 'Albiceleste' captain Lionel Messi asked to be substituted late in the second half and will undergo tests on Friday to see if he has an injury.
"He asked me for the substitution. If not, I wouldn't have replaced him. It's obvious. Afterwards, we will assess to see what he has, but he asked for the change," said the Argentine coach at the press conference following the 'Albiceleste's 1-0 win over Ecuador in the opening game of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
On whether his participation is in doubt for the match against Bolivia, corresponding to the second day of the qualifiers, Scaloni replied that "he will undergo tests" and that, if they are favourable, "he will play" in La Paz. "If he's not well, we'll see what we do. We'll see. It's all very recent," he said.
On his opponents, Scaloni said that Ecuador "are a good team" who, at the World Cup in Qatar 2022, "made things difficult for the Netherlands". "I'm sticking with the game we played, with the attitude of the players, with the desire to keep winning. That's basic in football: don't rest on your laurels," explained the Argentina coach, who celebrated his fifth year in charge of the national team on Thursday.