The Argentina national football team is still active in top competition, with their last result being Argentina 3-0 Algeria (2026-06-17).

What happened to Messi's teammates?

Lionel Messi's first World Cup marked the beginning of his golden era, but it was also the last dance of an extraordinary generation of Argentine footballers. While the Inter Miami star is still active in top competition, his former teammates took very different paths: from absolute glory on the benches to the tranquility of rural life.

Where are they now?

The current technical staff of the Argentina national football team includes several of the 2006 players, such as Lionel Scaloni, who went from being a right-back in the 2006 Germany squad to becoming the most successful coach in the history of the Argentina national football team. - Pablo Aimar is part of Scaloni's technical staff and has become one of the closest and most analytical collaborators of the selector. - Roberto Ayala is also part of the technical structure of the Senior Selection since Scaloni's arrival.

What other paths did they take?

Much of the old guard decided to become coaches or assistants in top leagues around the world. - Gabriel Heinze made the leap to English football to work as a field assistant at Arsenal in England. - Javier Mascherano took over as technical director of Inter Miami for a few years, which allowed him to share the day-to-day and plan strategies with Lionel Messi again. - Hernán Crespo remains fully active in technical direction, with an important trajectory on the continent.

The Argentina national football team is preparing for their next match against Jordan (2026-06-28).