Juan Foyth of Villarreal speaks about the Argentina national team, World Cup, Copa America

Juan Foyth spoke about the Argentina national team, the World Cup and the exclusion from the Copa America team.

Foyth has not always been a fixture in the Argentina national team, but his versatility has made him appear in the squads. Now in the semi-finals of the Champions League with Villarreal, the Argentinian was selected for the World Cup qualifiers in March. In an interview with AS’s Marcos Durán, here’s what he had to say when asked about Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni:

“Scaloni was the one who gave me the chance in the national team. He is a coach who is very close to the group and knows how to deal with the emotions of the group and just as much as the coaching staff, whom I have known since my childhood. And for the teammates, despite not being at the Copa America, they were really happy with how it went.”

As to who told him he wouldn’t be at the Copa America:

“He (Scaloni) told me. I understood it. I believe I’ve had a really good year here at Villarreal and when I went to the national team I had mistakes that could happen and maybe at that time it was best for me not to be there but I couldn’t ask for anything .

“I believe I had other team-mates at the time who were better, he saw it, more willing to take on the Copa and I respect, as always, the decision of the coach. It hurts, of course, I want to be there, but what I always respect the most is the coach’s decision. You won’t hear me say anything bad about any coach.”

Now that he’s back in the Argentina national team, if it’s like he never left:

“I feel perfect. With the group, we never stop talking. We are always in touch. When you go to the national team, you go to your country to represent and enjoy it. At that time I had to be mentally strong not to fall. And from here, to thank my wife, because when that happened all I wanted to do was stay home in Argentina and she said to me: “No, no, let’s go to Marbella. You have to train there, you take the plane and you start training “(before the preseason) and that helped me a lot because I started the preseason and I felt really good.”

What its purpose is:

“The first is to end the season in the best possible way, as a group that will strengthen it at an individual level. And then yes, personally speaking, it has always been there and people dream of being able to play and fight in a World Cup, always in good faith. If I am selected it will be something unique and if not I will support the team.”