Ángel Correa finalized his departure from Atlético de Madrid and will play for Tigres de México: the statistic that keeps him away from the national team one year before the World Cup.

The news is a bombshell and carries with it a wealth of uncertainty for the near future. The news is that World Cup champion Ángel Correa will continue his career with Tigres de México , who will buy his transfer from Atlético de Madrid and give him a multi-million dollar contract for five seasons. Looking ahead, what's happening is that Lionel Scaloni doesn't usually call up players who play in the Mexican league. There's even more to it: there are whispers that Scaloni's father had advised the forward to stay in Europe to have a better chance of reaching the 2026 World Cup.

Correa made the decision months ago to leave Atlético de Madrid: the Club World Cup will be his last tournament under Diego Pablo Simeone. The San Lorenzo native has played 467 matches and scored 88 goals for the Colchonero. He will leave through the front door, of course. There was no shortage of offers for Angelito. There was even speculation about River Plate and Rosario Central, his beloved club. But the 30-year-old striker leaned toward Tigres' offer.

Although he never admits it publicly, Scaloni likes the Scaloneta players to play in Europe's top leagues. It's not a whim, by any means: the best are there. That's why we'll have to wait and see what happens with Correa's move to Mexico. "It's not important where the kids are; the important thing is that they play," the coach often repeats.

Correa played 17 of Scaloni's 87 matches in Argentina. But he was almost always called up by the Pujato-born coach. Angelito won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2021 Copa América in Brazil.

Scaloni has rarely called up players who play in Mexico during his nearly seven years in charge of Argentina. He only chose Guido Pizarro when he was with Tigres in 2019 (paradoxically, he is now the team's coach) and Esteban Andrada and Maximiliano Meza when they played for Rayados de México.

The question, then, is simple: Will Ángel Correa leave La Scaloneta with his transfer to Tigres de México?