Tottenham Hotspur defender Marcos Senesi has been called up to the Argentina World Cup squad as a late replacement for Leo Balerdi, who suffered an injury in training and was forced to withdraw from La Albiceleste’s group ahead of the tournament.
The Argentine Football Federation had reportedly considered bolstering their attacking options rather than bringing in a like-for-like defensive replacement, but ultimately chose to call up Senesi, who will travel to join his international teammates immediately. Argentina open their World Cup campaign on June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Marcos Senesi could start alongside Cristian Romero at the World Cup
The call-up raises an immediately interesting possibility at the heart of the Argentina defence. Senesi is now in the same squad as Cristian Romero, his Tottenham club teammate, and there is a genuine prospect of Lionel Scaloni deploying the two Spurs centre-backs together from the start. Romero has been one of Argentina’s most important defensive players in recent years and the familiarity the two share from daily life at Hotspur Way could give any partnership between them an additional layer of cohesion that most international pairings take months to develop.
It was considered slightly unusual that Senesi was omitted from the original squad given his relationship with the manager’s first-choice defensive partner, but the call has now been made and Tottenham supporters will be watching with significant interest when Argentina take the field in Kansas City.
Why this call-up matters for Argentina at World Cup 2026
Argentina are already among the favourites to win the World Cup for the second successive tournament and their Group J draw alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan is considered highly manageable. The defending champions are given a 97% probability of advancing from the group stage. Going into a tournament with a slightly shorthanded defensive unit is never ideal, but Senesi’s presence gives Scaloni a trusted option with direct club knowledge of his most important centre-back. Whether he plays from the start or provides cover from the bench, having him in the squad is clearly the right decision for both player and country.
By OkayGoal 
