A hamstring injury in his right leg will prevent Lionel Messi from representing Argentina in the March international break, which is why manager Lionel Scaloni has reportedly decided who will take penalties during his absence.
According to Argentine national team reporter Gaston Edul of TyC Sports, Lautaro Martinez will be designated to take spot-kicks this month. La Albiceleste will play El Salvador on Friday, with another friendly against Costa Rica scheduled for Tuesday.
The report claims the coaching staff wants the Inter Milan striker to end his drought, which is why he’s expected to start against El Salvador. Once a reliable scorer for Argentina, Martinez has failed to find the net in his last 17 matches with the national team.
The last time Martinez scored for Argentina
The 26-year-old managed to score in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, but it’s been a while since he scored in regular time.
Lautaro Martinez celebrates for Inter Milan
Martinez headed into Qatar as the top scorer in the Scaloni era, but in the blink of an eye, finding the net became quite an elusive task for him. The Racing Club product hasn’t found the net for his country since September 24, 2022, in a friendly against Honduras.
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The Inter Milan captain still boasts 21 goals in 54 caps, but his numbers could look much better had he scored more consistently in his last appearances for the reigning world champs.
The other Argentine players who haven’t scored after 2022 World Cup
- Alexis Mac Allister: The Liverpool star found the net just once in 23 caps for Argentina, scoring in the World Cup group stage win against Poland on November 30, 2022.
- Nahuel Molina: The Atletico Madrid right-back put La Albiceleste in front in the quarterfinal tie against the Netherlands on Dec. 9, 2022, but has failed to score since then.
- Julian Alvarez: Believe it or not, the Manchester City sensation hasn’t scored for Argentina since he bagged a brace in the semifinal victory over Croatia on Dec. 13, 2022.
