There will never be another Messi. That's not defeatism — it's just the clearest possible reading of football history. But Argentina still have to play after he's gone, and the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off for La Albiceleste on June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, is where that transition either begins in earnest or gets delayed one more time.
Messi will be there, trying to go back-to-back. At 37 and deep into his Inter Miami years, he is still, by all accounts, demanding the ball and playing 90 minutes. Argentine fan Lucas Bilbao, based in Singapore, put it plainly: "He is still the best player in the world for me." Few who've watched him closely would argue hard against that.
But Bilbao also identified the real problem. "Every rival sets up their entire defence around stopping Messi," he said. "The answer is not really about who replaces Messi in the starting eleven, but about who comes off the bench to change the game."
Three names, one opportunity
Bilbao's shortlist: Thiago Almada, Nico Paz, and Lautaro Martinez. It's a reasonable one.
Julian Alvarez is the most battle-tested of the candidates, even if he's not on that particular list. Four goals in Qatar — including a brace in the semi-final demolition of Croatia — and a profile that lets him play as a nine, a ten, or a second striker. He's 26, just left Manchester City for Atletico Madrid's city rivals, and has the self-awareness to know what's changed: "I have more experience now given how many matches I've played in the last few years," he told FIFA.com. The United States is where Alvarez stops being "Messi's supporting act" and starts being the main story. Argentina's odds of going deep lean heavily on him.
Nico Paz is the one who draws the most direct comparisons to Messi — left-footed, creative, excellent from set-pieces, a dribbler with vision. He's 21, spent last season on loan at Como under Cesc Fabregas (who played alongside Messi at Barcelona and knows the archetype well), and posted 12 goals and seven assists in 35 Serie A matches as Como somehow qualified for the Champions League. Messi himself named Paz in a 2025 list of ten young players with the greatest potential. That's not nothing. Coach Scaloni will manage his minutes carefully, but Paz is in the squad for a reason.
Almada is the wildcard with the most top-level club experience right now. The Atletico Madrid midfielder was the first active MLS player in a World Cup-winning squad back in 2022, though he saw just six minutes of it. He's been through Lyon and into Diego Simeone's system since then — not an easy environment to flourish in, which makes his development more credible, not less. Scaloni credited the European move directly: "He's earned himself a starting spot in the side after a very short space of time. He plays with the pace and intensity that the team needs."
What this World Cup actually decides
Argentina go into 2026 as defending champions with the greatest player of all time still in the squad. Their group — Algeria, Austria, Jordan — is navigable. The expectation, fairly or not, is deep progression.
What the tournament will really settle is whether any of these players can perform when the defensive attention shifts. Right now, opposing teams design their entire shape around Messi. The moment one of Alvarez, Paz, or Almada punishes that — really punishes it, in a knockout game, on the big stage — the conversation changes permanently.
"Those three are the ones who can come in and change everything," Bilbao said. The group stage starts June 16. We'll find out soon enough whether he's right.
