Argentina arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a roster packed with elite talent, led by legendary captain Lionel Messi, striker Julián Ãlvarez and midfielder Enzo Fernández.
While Messi remains the face of the defending world champions, Argentina’s blend of experienced stars and players in their prime has positioned La Albiceleste â three-time World Cup winners already â among the tournament favorites once again.
Messi, who holds a record eight Ballon d’Or awards and led Argentina to its third World Cup title in 2022, opened the 2026 tournament with a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria, tying Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the all-time men’s World Cup scoring record at 16 goals, as the Associated Press reported.
“At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said after the match, as quoted by the AP. “He’s incredible.”
But with Messi’s brilliance beyond argument, fans watching Argentina for the first time want to know who else is worth watching on the defending World Cup champions’ squad. Here, then, are Argentina’s three best players not named Messi.
Emiliano MartÃnez: Argentina’s Last Line of Defense
GettyArgentina’s goalkeeper #23 Emiliano Martinez.
The starting point for any Argentina squad analysis, after Messi, is goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” MartÃnez. Born in Mar del Plata in 1992, he spent a decade developing through Arsenal’s academy before Aston Villa signed him for $26 million in 2020, a number that immediately looked like a steal.
MartÃnez won the 2022 World Cup Golden Glove with penalty-shootout heroics in the final against France. He closed out the 2025-26 Premier League season with 95 saves, eight clean sheets, plus a UEFA Europa League title. A fractured finger threatened his availability entering the 2026 tournament, but Scaloni confirmed he expects MartÃnez between the posts for Argentina’s opener against Algeria.
Reflexes, elite distribution and his rock-solid mental approach in high-pressure shootouts all prove that no Argentina goalkeeper since the 1980s has commanded the position this way.
Julián Ãlvarez: The Forward Who Keeps Setting Records
GettyJulian Alvarez #9 of Argentina.
Ãlvarez, 26, is already one of the most decorated forwards of his generation. A River Plate product who won the Champions League with Manchester City, he departed for Atlético Madrid in a deal worth up to $109 million in 2024, according to FIFA.com, then immediately became the club’s top scorer with 29 goals and six assists in his debut La Liga season.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is where Ãlvarez made his global statement. Four goals in the tournament, including a brace in the 3-0 semifinal win over Croatia, made him the youngest player since Pelé in 1958 to score twice in a World Cup semifinal. He carries 51 senior caps and 14 international goals into the 2026 World Cup campaign, with Real Madrid reportedly having a $171 million bid for him rejected by Atlético this summer, according to ESPN FC.
Enzo Fernández: Midfielder Built for Moments Like This
GettyEnzo Fernández #24 of Argentina.
No Argentina midfielder has made more impact since Qatar 2022 than Enzo Fernández. He arrived in Doha with just three senior caps and left with the FIFA Young Player Award, according to FIFA.com. He then transferred to Chelsea weeks later for a British-record $138 million.
“He’s a very well-rounded midfielder who’s capable of playing anywhere centrally across the middle,” Scaloni said of Fernández, as quoted by FIFA.com.
At Chelsea, the 25-year-old scored 10 goals and posted four assists in 3,121 Premier League minutes during 2025-26, while helping the club win the FIFA Club World Cup. That makes Fernández the only player in history to have won both the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, according to FIFA.com. With 40 caps and a motor that never stops, he is the fuel Argentina’s midfield cannot run without.
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