Giovani Lo Celso will be going through a whole range of different emotions at present after seeing Argentina reach the World Cup final. In a fight to stay in the competition following their shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their Group C opener, Albiceleste will now take on either France or Morocco in Sunday's showpiece finale after a convincing 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia.
Playing a key role in his country's Copa America success last summer where they defeated great rivals Brazil 1-0 in the final at the Maracana, Lo Celso has unfortunately played no part this time around. A certainty to be named in Lionel Scaloni's 26-man squad for the tournament, the 26-year-old cruelly sustained a hamstring injury just two weeks before domestic football went on pause for the tournament.
"Numerically there is a replacement, but football-wise there is not," Scaloni admitted to Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports (via i) when speaking about the Tottenham man's absence. "There are others with other abilities, but it is evident that he has given us a lot."
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Lo Celso's popularity and importance to the Argentina squad was clear to see on the eve of the tournament in the minutes before they took on United Arab Emirates in their final friendly ahead of the big kick-off. Posing for their customary team photo, a banner featuring Lo Celso's image along with the words 'All Together' was unfurled as they paid tribute to him following his injury heartache.
Missing the player's influence from midfield in their opening couple of group fixtures, Argentina have come on in leaps and bounds since then and have deservedly sealed a spot in the final. Celebrating their 3-0 triumph over Croatia at Lusail Stadium, some eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a familiar face on the pitch with the Argentina players at the end of the game.
It was in fact Lo Celso, who Diario Popular report has been with the squad at their Qatar base for the past few days. Decked out in his Argentina training kit, the midfielder could be seen embracing star man Lionel Messi following his pivotal role in the win before then joining the whole squad as they celebrated in a huddle in the middle of the pitch and then in front of the thousands of Argentina fans behind the goal. Lo Celso also shared a moment with fellow Tottenham player Cristian Romero in the huddle as they toasted their place in the final.
The player, who is currently back with Villarreal on a season-long loan, was also seen congratulating his close friends Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes. Lo Celso later uploaded an image of the trio together to his Instagram stories which featured the words 'I love you. Thank you so much'.
Lo Celso wasn't the only player not in the squad who was seen with the team as Sergio Aguero, who had to retire from the game last December due to a heart condition, was also present. "That Gio and Kun [Aguero] are with us is beautiful because they are part of us too," said Messi (via C5N) as he paid tribute to both in a post-match interview.
As well as Messi speaking about Lo Celso after the game, De Paul also hailed the classy midfielder. "He is one of the most important players on the squad and it was also a hard blow that he was left out," said the Atletico Madrid ace (via Diario Popular).
"He is my brother. Luckily he was able to come today, be with us, accompany us and feel part of it, because it is clear that he is part of all this."
Injury may have stopped Lo Celso from taking his rightful place in the Argentina squad but Scaloni and the rest of his teammates have ensured he very much feels part of it. He will undoubtedly be fully involved in the celebrations once again on Sunday if Albiceleste manage to follow up their Copa America success by winning the greatest prize of all for a third time.
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