Injuries never come at a good time, but Joaquín Panichelli’s setback has deeply moved both the Argentine soccer world and the Albiceleste coach
Lionel Scaloni spoke with reporters ahead of the friendly match against Zambia, but when asked about the 23-year-old forward, he was visibly affected by the painful loss and was unable to continue, abruptly cutting short the press conference.
Scaloni’s emotion upon recalling Panichelli
Joaquín tore the cruciate ligaments in his right knee during training on Thursday, March 26, while preparing for the friendly against Mauritania, for which he had been called up.
This is not the first time this has happened to him, as the RC Strasbourg forward had previously suffered the same injury to his left knee in 2023, which unfortunately kept him off the field for seven months. Now, following this latest setback, Joaquín has lost the opportunity to participate in the upcoming World Cup.
This situation was a major blow to the Albiceleste not only from a soccer standpoint -since they had hoped to count on him not only for these friendlies but also for the World Cup- but also on a human level.
Argentina’s head coach, Lionel Scaloni, did not hide his emotion during the press conference following the victory over Mauritania, and now, ahead of the second friendly to be played on March 31 at La Bombonera Stadium, he could not hold back his tears either and decided to end the conference when asked about the young forward.
“It’s very difficult… We’ve spoken with him. He even took the trouble to come to the training facility after they gave him the result. He could have stayed at the hotel in peace, but he came here and asked to speak with us,” Scaloni noted. “It was very emotional, and everything he said was absolutely right-he didn’t deserve it,” he commented on his conversation with Joaquín.
“I’ll say it again: he didn’t deserve this-no one does, but him especially. He’s a hard worker; he’d earned it. That’s what I told him: he’ll get another chance. That’s how it is; he’s already had one. And honestly, he’s a guy who inspires others; he was training really well…,” he added just before wrapping up the press conference: “And it sucks… Okay, I’m done talking,” he concluded.
Panichelli had become the first alternative off the bench to complete Argentina’s attack, led by Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez as the main options. However, the injury to the forward-who came up through River Plate’s youth system and played for Deportivo Alavés and Mirandés in Spain-not only affects the Argentine national team but also his career at RC Strasbourg Alsace.
Joaquín had become one of the stars of Ligue 1, scoring 16 goals in 27 matches for his club this season, but following this setback, he will miss the final stretch of the French league and the chance to help the team secure a spot in the European competition qualification spots.
Meanwhile, Argentina will enter the 2026 World Cup as the defending champion and will have to defend its title. In Group J, it will face Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, at Kansas City Stadium. It will then play Austria at Dallas Stadium on Monday, June 22, and Jordan on Saturday, June 27.
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