LaLiga defender – who Lionel Messi named as his TOUGHEST opponent – is set to be handed first Argentina call-up by Lionel Scaloni after switching international allegiances from Spain
- The two met in 2017 when Messi played for Barcelona against Girona
- The player has never had an international cap at senior level despite youth ties with Spain
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Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni is about to call up a player once described by Lionel Messi as the ‘toughest’ rival he ever faced: Mallorca defender Pablo Maffeo.
The Spanish-born right-back was born in Barcelona but is of Italian and Argentinian descent and is yet to feature in Spain’s senior team.
The 26-year-old last played internationally for Spain Under-21s, making five appearances between 2017 and 2018, but the call-up signals a change of allegiance for the player after a strong run of LaLiga appearances for the Balearic club.
It is believed that Scaloni has been eyeing the former Manchester City prospect for some time in a bid to strengthen his squad options for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Argentina will face Uruguay and Brazil during the November international break as they look to strengthen their position at the top of their South American qualifying group.
Lionel Messi called the confrontation with Pablo Maffeo one of the most intense evenings of his career
The 26-year-old Mallorca defender is on the verge of winning his first senior international cap
Maffeo (left) has Argentinian and Italian descent, but was previously part of the Spanish youth team
A move to the Albiceleste means a reunion for Maffeo with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who had only the highest praise for the defender in 2020.
‘Pablo Maffeo from Girona was the strongest (defender I came across). I’m never one to complain, but that (match) was intense!’
The match in question took place in 2017, when the then Girona defender was tasked with marking the Inter Miami star at the end of his spell at Barcelona.
At just 20 years old, Maffeo took advantage of this opportunity and kept Messi almost completely hidden, despite the Blaugrana going home 3-0.
Maffeo explained at the time: ‘Messi told me: “I’ll have you here all day” and I said: “You’re the best in the world, I’m not going to leave you”.
‘He asked me how old I was, whether I had been appointed to Manchester City (where Maffeo was hired) and what it was like there. He said the marking was unpleasant.
“Messi and I were together for the entire match. He asked me a few things. He’s a good person.’
After leaving Man City in 2018 without making a single Premier League appearance, Maffeo had spells at Stuttgart, Heuesca and Mallorca before finally joining LaLiga on loan in 2022.
During his time at Manchester City, Maffeo played just three senior games for the club
After leaving Man City in 2018, Maffeo had a number of loan spells during his time at Bundesliga side Stuttgart
Since signing his contract, Maffeo has made 42 appearances and scored twice during his trials.
The reward of a potential first international senior cap is one that the player greatly desires.
“He is super, super excited,” his agent Jorge Capilla told D Sports Radio. ‘It’s an opportunity for him. At the end of the day, it is his mother’s country, and he has very big roots and ties (to the country), and above all, Argentina is the current world champion.
“I think it’s an opportunity for everyone, it’s a good time for him, sportingly speaking, and it comes at a really good age (for him).”
