Eulalia Marzetti

Eulalia Marzetti died on the night of Tuesday, 27 October 2026, in Pujato, Santa Fe, at the age of 74. Reports said her death followed complications from health problems she had lived with for around five years, since her stroke in 2021. The family did not give a more specific cause.

Her death was confirmed to Radio 2 in Rosario by sources close to the family and reported across Argentina on 28 October. The Argentine Football Association published a statement in which the whole association, "with its President Claudio Tapia at the head", sent condolences to Lionel Scaloni and his family and offered "the fraternal embrace of all Argentines".

Scaloni, who was reported to be in Buenos Aires when the news came, travelled to Pujato for the farewell. The family chose to keep the wake private, for relatives and close friends.

Eulalia Marzetti was born on 9 February 1952 in Zavalla, a town in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, close to Pujato and about 40 kilometres from the city of Rosario. She was known to those close to her as Lali.

She married Ángel Scaloni, known as Chiche, and the couple settled in Pujato, where they lived together for the rest of her life. Their three children, Mauro, Lionel and Corina, were born and grew up in the town.

For several years Marzetti served as the municipal justice of the peace (jueza de paz) at the local court in Pujato. In Argentine towns the post handles everyday legal matters for residents, and reports after her death said the work gave her a close and continuous bond with her neighbours.

She combined that public role with raising her family, and she remained a well known figure in the community long after her son became famous.

Marzetti and her husband raised three children. Lionel Scaloni became a professional footballer and later head coach of the Argentina national team. Corina became known in the Rosario area for Scala Bakery, her business in Funes. Mauro also grew up in Pujato.

In mid 2021 Marzetti suffered a stroke that led to a hospital stay and a long rehabilitation. It came about ten days before the Copa América in Brazil, which Argentina went on to win, ending 28 years without a major senior title. Lionel Scaloni dedicated the title to his mother. In October 2021, after a qualifier against Peru, he told reporters, "No estoy para pensar en el Mundial" (I am in no state to think about the World Cup), because of his concern for her. He often said in interviews that her health and wellbeing came before any sporting achievement.

In Pujato, Marzetti is remembered for her years as the town's justice of the peace and as the centre of a close family. Across Argentina she is remembered as the mother to whom Lionel Scaloni dedicated the 2021 Copa América, the first of the titles that rebuilt the national team, and whose illness he spoke about with rare openness while preparing the team that won the 2022 World Cup.