Giovani Lo Celso
does not have the world champion medal, but for many it is as if he had also lifted the Cup in
Qatar 2022
. This midfielder from Rosario was part of
Lionel Scaloni
's entire process
and was left out at the last minute due to a damn injury that forced him to have surgery.
Gio recovered after that blow that knocked him out
in those days of mixed feelings about the happiness of the birth of his daughter Emilia and the pain of having to miss the dream of his life. He recovered, returned to play for
Villarreal
, returned to
Tottenham
and regained his place in the
Scaloneta
.
The 27-year-old left-hander took full advantage of the tour of the United States
: he started both friendlies, scored against El Salvador and reached 50 games against Costa Rica. Oh, and he is number one for the Copa América.
The return of an ideal partner for Lionel Messi
, great news for Argentina.
"It's very nice to reach 50 games, now I'm looking forward to living more unforgettable moments and reaching new goals with the National Team. Every game is a new opportunity to make history together
," Lo Celso wrote on his networks while he was already flying back to England.
The joys of now buried the tears shed when the news that he had to have surgery passed through him like a chill through his soul.
Rodrigo De Paul
once
said that in those days
Lo Celso did not even want to answer the phone when his friends and loved ones called
him. A detachment of the femoral biceps in his right leg removed him from the list of 26 that Scaloni already had.
Everyone in the squad felt his absence, as did that of
Nicolás González
, who had to return from Doha days before the World Cup debut due to a tear. Both joined to accompany the last meetings in Qatar and participated in the celebrations because they were part of the entire cycle.
Gio Lo Celso with Leandro Paredes and Angel Di María, part of the Scaloneta small table. Photo: EFE
Now,
Gio is ready to go for more
. He can't change what happened, but he can build forward. And that's where he is, once again showing that he can be a key piece of the Albiceleste midfield, with filtered passes, shots and assists. In fact,
he appears behind Messi as the second highest assister of the Scaloni era
, with 11 assists. Leo counts 14.
In his 50 matches in the National Team, Lo Celso played 22 friendlies, 15 World Cup qualifiers, 12 in the Copa América and 1 Finalissima. He scored 3 goals - the last on this FIFA date against El Salvador - and gave 14 assists in total.
He participated in the 2021 Copa América titles and the Finalissima against Italy.
GOLEA ARGENTINA🇦🇷! After a great succession of touches, Lo Celso received inside the area, defined a cross and scored 3-0 against El Salvador.
Watch it LIVE on @tycsports and https://t.co/oDHOhj9Wcn here👉https://t.co/jVMXo5M85S pic.twitter.com/qU0xrZnbll
— TyC Sports Play (@TyCSportsPlay) March 23, 2024
Few remember that he was part of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, on Jorge Sampaoli's team. The thing is that Lo Celso did not have minutes in that event that did not end well for Argentina, with internal conflict and elimination in the round of 16 against
France
, who would later be the champions.
And when he was preparing for a second chance, the injury was a dagger to the heart. However, he got up and, once again installed in the intimate bosom of the Scaloneta, he is excited about what is to come.