Tagliafico reveals his future in Argentina

He was one of the silent craftsmen behind the scenes in the stories of Argentina's triumphs and trophy wins. Nicolas Tagliafico was one of the heroes of the Albiceleste's world victory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But time changes in the fast-paced world of life. The joy of winning the World Cup has now been joined by the bitterness of defeat and the tone of farewell.

Recently, Tagliafico, 33, spoke openly about his experience of playing in two consecutive finals, including the 2026 World Cup, and his future in the Argentina national team during a live broadcast on his official Twitch channel. In that emotional conversation, the defender made it clear that his chapter in the blue and white jersey of Argentina is almost over.

While talking about reaching and achieving two consecutive World Cup finals, Tagliafico said, "We already have the gold model (gold medal). Now we have the silver model. We should be proud of it. We should be proud of the World Cup we played. It is not easy to reach two consecutive finals, it is not easy to get two medals. You have to learn to value it. You also have to know how to lose. It proves that you have reached the end, you have given your all. Unfortunately, in football, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.'

Noting that the preparation for the World Cup and the tireless work behind it are not just a game of one or one and a half months, he said, 'But another achievement has been added to the notebook or bag. And its value is very, very high. It is valuable for the amount of work that has been done. Don't think that this work was done in just one month. It is not that you only thought about the World Cup—which lasts for a month or a little more, this time it was a little longer. There are three and a half years of hard work behind it.’

Explaining how to prepare yourself for the World Cup year after year, the Albiceleste defender said, ‘After the previous World Cup, a footballer starts thinking, okay, where do I want to reach in terms of sport? How do I want to reach physically? It’s not just a matter of a month or May, which starts exactly a month before the World Cup. It starts much earlier. From then on, you have to pay attention to how your physical abilities are working or not in the league.’

The left-back, who has played 83 matches for Argentina, spoke very honestly about his future. Was the 2026 World Cup his last? In response, he said, ‘This World Cup means a lot to me. Because maybe this was my last World Cup. I think yes, this was my last. It’s not possible for me to pull off another World Cup.’

Many dream of reaching the milestone of a century or 100 matches in the Argentina jersey. Expressing his feelings in that regard, he said, "I had a dream of playing 100 matches for the Argentine national team, but I don't think I will be able to reach there."

Taliafico plans to join the coaching profession after ending his playing career. However, he also expressed his thoughts on the changes in modern football and the mentality of young footballers. Speaking about the coaching course, he said, "I am taking a course to become a coach, but it is getting more difficult day by day. Footballers have changed; today's young players consider themselves to be much more stars."

This experienced defender is on his way to bid farewell to the Argentine team, having witnessed a golden era and with the satisfaction of destroying it 100 percent.