Argentina turns to the new Tottenham star to replace Valerde | sports

The Argentine Football Association announced an emergency amendment to the national team’s roster participating in the 2026 World Cup, including calling up defender Marcos Senesi to replace Leonardo Balerdi, whose absence was confirmed last Saturday, June 6, due to a muscle injury he suffered during recent training with the national team.

The Federation explained, in an official statement, that Sinise, the new English Tottenham player arriving from Bournemouth, has joined the final list of 26 players in preparation for the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, as part of strengthening the defensive options of the technical staff of the Argentine national team, the World Cup holder led by Lionel Scaloni.

The replacement decision came after Balerdi, the 27-year-old French Olympique de Marseille defender, was injured during the national team’s camp, where medical examinations showed that he had suffered a muscle tear that prevented him from continuing preparations or joining the tournament, according to what the Argentine Football Association announced, despite his previous participation in 11 international matches with the “Albiceleste”.

On the other hand, Marcos Senesi, 29 years old, enters the list after a strong season with English club Bournemouth in the Premier League before completing his move to Tottenham, where he performed at remarkable levels that made him classified among the most prominent professional Argentine defenders in Europe, which prompted the technical staff led by Scaloni to rely on him to compensate for the absence in the back line.

This change comes days before the start of Argentina’s journey in the tournament, as it begins its journey on June 17, in Kansas City, against the Algerian national team, in the tenth group competitions, in the opening of the journey to defend the world title.