Lionel Scaloni rarely divulges information in a pre-match press conference. He prefers to keep his lineups under wraps, deflecting questions about who will start with the kind of practiced ambiguity that every international manager develops over time. That habit was broken on Friday, ahead of Argentina’s final group game against Jordan, by a 91-year-old man.

Enrique Macaya Marquez has covered World Cups since 1958, when he witnessed a 17-year-old Pelé make his global debut. When he raised his hand in the press room, the other journalists in attendance stopped what they were doing and applauded before he could even ask his question.

“Let me ask you… will Messi play against Jordan or not?” Macaya Marquez asked.

Scaloni’s response contradicted everything he typically does in front of cameras.

“I’d never reply to any journalist on this topic now… but it is coming from you, and so I tell you: Messi will not start,” He elaborated. “Honestly, it’s a pleasure to answer a question from you. You have covered 18 World Cups; it’s incredible. I remember when I was playing for Argentina; you were already a star in journalism, and today you are even more so. If someone else asked me the question, I’d surely dodge it, but because it’s you, I’ll answer it. Messi will go to the bench tomorrow.”

What came next turned a routine press conference into one of the more moving moments of the tournament. “I respect you too much. I’m proud to see you here,” Scaloni added, before walking over to embrace Macaya Marquez directly in front of the assembled media. The two posed together for a picture, drawing applause from the rest of the press room, a rare moment of warmth in the middle of what is usually one of the more sterile rituals of a World Cup.

It’s hard to exaggerate the importance of Macaya Márquez to Argentine football. He is the record holder for the most consecutive World Cup coverages, a record recognized by FIFA itself. His tryst with the football World Cup began in Sweden in 1958.

Generations of Argentine players, including Scaloni, grew up hearing his voice as a constant in the sport. That history is precisely why Scaloni, a coach not known for being sentimental in front of the press, chose to disregard his usual rules for one question.

Messi in red-hot form for Argentina, and Scaloni is resting him

The headline news itself was relatively straightforward. Messi will start on the bench against Jordan, and Scaloni has confirmed that. The decision is unrelated to fitness issues.

Instead, it is a workload management decision. Argentina has already secured first place in Group J after defeating Algeria 3-0 and Austria 2-0. However, Jordan has lost both of their opening games and are eliminated from the tournament.

Given Messi’s current position in the tournament, this kind of rest makes sense. He has scored all five of Argentina’s World Cup goals, including a brace against Austria that propelled him past Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer. It also propelled him ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele for the Golden Boot in this edition.

Scaloni made it clear that Argentina was not taking the game lightly. He said every player in the starting lineup had earned his place through hard work in training, and with the knockout rounds nearing, resting Messi against an eliminated opponent was a small decision in service of the bigger picture.

Much of the build-up to Argentina’s match against Jordan will focus on team news. Even so, the moment that will linger from Friday’s press conference had little to do with the bench. It was Scaloni crossing the room to embrace a 91-year-old man who has spent nearly seven decades documenting the sport they both love, a reminder that even at the World Cup, football is still about people before results.