Argentina vs France: He’s brilliant – Zabaleta names ‘electric’ player to replace Julian Alvarez in final

Former Argentina man, Pablo Zabaleta has told coach Lionel Scaloni to start Angel Di Maria in their 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France on Sunday.

The Juventus player has not started any of La Albiceleste’s last three games in the tournament but Zabaleta believes Di Maria, if completely fit, should start the game.

He noted that the former Paris Saint-Germain player would give the team an extra spark.

“If Di María is 100%, he should start. Di María is an electric player, unbalancing. If he plays for 60 minutes, it’s 60 minutes,” the former Manchester City star told ESPN.

Zabaleta believes Julian Alvarez should be dropped to the bench despite the Manchester City star forming a stellar bond with Lionel Messi at the top of Argentina’s attack.

Messi scored a penalty, while Alvarez bagged two goals as La Albiceleste defeated Croatia 3-0 in the semi-final.

“He’s playing alongside Lionel Messi up front, and it seems, from the outside, that he’s like: ‘Messi – don’t run. I’ll do it for you.’

“You need a big heart [to do that]. He started at the World Cup on the bench but then [got] one chance, and he’s been brilliant,” he said.