Argentina’s Senesi replaces Balerdi for World Cup
Collected Photo
Leonardo Balerdi’s injury ruled him out of Argentina squad just before the tournament. Amid speculation over his replacement, Lionel Scaloni called up Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi on the World Cup’s opening day.
Argentine Football Association confirmed the matter on June 7 that Balerdi would miss the tournament. Still, Scaloni waited nearly a week before naming Senesi as his replacement.
Balerdi sustained the injury during Argentina’s final training session ahead of a friendly against Honduras. Media reports said that the Marseille centre-back will miss at least three weeks.
Senesi made his national team debut in a 2022 friendly against Estonia but has never been a regular fixture. The 29-year-old has appeared in only three international friendlies to date.
Senesi was one of the key players for Bournemouth, performing during the 2025-26 Premier League season. He played 3,365 minutes across 39 matches for the club this season, contributing five assists.
Argentina will begin their World Cup campaign on 17 June against Algeria. The other two teams in Group J are Austria and Jordan.
