World Cup: Record holder Lionel Messi rested in Argentina’s group final against Jordan

To manage Lionel Messi’s workload, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni decided to sit the captain for the final Group J game against Jordan. (Photo/ANI) Defending champions Argentina will go without their talismanic captain Lionel Messi in the starting line-up when they take on tournament debutant Jordan in their final Group J clash on Sunday.With Argentina already top of Group J, head coach Lionel Scaloni decided to wrap his crown jewel in cotton wool. On Saturday, just two days after Messi celebrated his 39th birthday, Scaloni confirmed that the newly crowned World Cup’s all-time top scorer would start on the bench, although he strongly hinted that the maestro would eventually feature.“Messi will start the game on the bench but he will come a little later,” Scaloni told reporters, keeping his tactical cards close to his chest without revealing the exact timing of the substitutions or his starting XI.The decision comes as a calculated part of load management. Messi single-handedly directed Argentina’s attack in North America, scoring all five of his team’s goals. He scored a historic hat-trick against Algeria to equal the men’s all-time scoring record before breaking Miroslav Klose and Marta’s all-time tournament tally with a clinical display against Austria on Monday.Additionally, Messi’s progress to the four-year competition was plagued by a nagging hamstring injury during his domestic season with Inter Miami. While there have been no visible fitness concerns since the start of the tournament, the Argentine camp is fully aware of the physical marathon ahead.Argentina’s quest for a back-to-back global crown ends next Friday in South Florida. If La Albiceleste are to reach the grand final on July 20, they face a grueling and ruthless schedule of five games crammed into just 17 days.Given the high intensity of modern knockout football, Messi’s leg save against a heavily outmatched Jordan team makes perfect tactical sense. While the fans in the stadium will be desperate for a flash of genius, Scaloni’s focus is firmly trained on ensuring his master strategist is at 100 per cent when it comes to winning or going home.