The Argentina national team once again found itself at the center of international debate. This time, the criticism came from Germany and hadRudi Völler as its main figure.
The historic world champion from Italy 1990 and current sporting director of the German Football Federation (DFB) harshly questioned the style of play of the team managed by Lionel Scaloni.
Rudi Völler described Argentina as “a poor example”
Völler took advantage of his speech at the BDFL International Coaches Congress to launch harsh criticism at the Argentina National Team and its defensive and offensive play shown at the 2026 World Cup:
“I said that, as Germany, we need to defend better. Many people pointed to Argentina as the example to follow. I thought that was a poor example,” he said (Yahoo Sports). “All of a sudden, Argentina became the benchmark. I found that discussion a bit hypocritical,” he continued.
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Furthermore, the German leader considered that, despite Argentina having been world champion in 2022 and runner-up in 2026, the recognition its footballing approach receives is not justified:
“I don’t want a team that plays like Argentina. That has nothing to do with football“, he said. “Yes, they were world champions in 2022 and runners-up this year. But I genuinely didn’t understand all the praise they received from so many people. That was overly aggressive and sometimes unsportsmanlike“, he complained.
In contrast, Völler explained that he prefers a model closer to the one displayed by Spain and England, teams that, in his view, managed to combine defensive and attacking solidity: “Spain deserved all the praise, and England also defended very well“.
“Well, I haven’t said that we don’t know how to defend. We can and must defend better, that’s a fact, and it starts from the top or in the middle of the pitch,” said Rudi.
The statements came amid the rebuilding process of the German national team, which is beginning a new era with Jürgen Kloppas coach after another disappointing World Cup performance (eliminated in the group stage in 2018 and 2022 and in the round of 32 in 2026).
In this regard, Völler did not hesitate to back him: “He has the strength and the power to try new things. With him, an eye will be turned a blind eye if something does not work immediately. He has earned that,” said Rudi, who also revealed that he will remain in his position until the next Euro, in 2028, approximately.
