Argentina's Lionel Scaloni is the youngest coach at this World Cup, but the 44-year-old intends to prove his relative inexperience is no obstacle against Louis van Gaal and the Netherlands in Friday's quarter-final.
Having witnessed first-hand Argentina's World Cup campaign unravel in 2018 as the assistant to Jorge Sampaoli, Scaloni was not an obvious choice to take over the top job in the wake of a last-16 exit.
Without any previous senior head coach experience, Scaloni was initially appointed on an interim basis as the Argentine federation searched for Sampaoli's successor, but he eventually earned a permanent deal — recently extended to 2026.
He brushed off the disapproval from those who felt he lacked the qualifications to lead the two-time world champions, but Scaloni also had to win over the trust of the players. Scaloni did just that by helping end Argentina's 28-year trophy drought with victory at the 2021 Copa America after a 1-0 win over hosts Brazil in the final.
He succeeded where the likes of Daniel Passarella, Marcelo Bielsa, Alejandro Sabella and Gerardo Martino did not, without also forgetting Diego Maradona's colourful, but unfruitful two-year spell in charge.
Awaiting Scaloni and Argentina next are a Dutch side led by a coach he already idolised when he was still a player.
"I was at Deportivo La Coruna when he was Barcelona coach and he was already an leading figure, I'm proud to take him on, everyone knows what he's done for football," said Scaloni of the 71-year-old Van Gaal, the oldest coach at this tournament.
Scaloni was actually part of the Deportivo side that pipped Van Gaal's Barcelona to the Spanish league title in 2000.