Giuliano Simeone embraces first World Cup, eyes Cape Verde clash

Giuliano Simeone arrived at his first World Cup as one of the eight debutants in Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man Argentina squad, and the 23-year-old forward made clear that the tournament is also a test of identity. He has spent the run-up insisting on his own path, even as a famous surname follows him from club football to the biggest stage.

Simeone’s rise has been swift. He made his senior Argentina debut on June 19, 2024, against Peru, and before the World Cup he had already collected 11 appearances and one goal for the Albiceleste, scoring in the 4-1 win over Brazil. Those numbers helped carry him into Scaloni’s final list, which Argentina announced on May 28, 2026.

The family name gives the story extra weight. Diego Pablo Simeone played 11 matches across three World Cups, in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and was capped 106 times by Argentina. Twenty-four years later, the Simeone surname returned to a World Cup through Giuliano, but the forward has made a point of separating his career from his father’s. At Atlético de Madrid, he uses only his first name on his shirt, and in earlier interviews he said he wanted to build his own route while asking his family to carry the surname as high as possible.

His selection also carried the mark of persistence. FIFA highlighted that Simeone’s place in the squad came after he recovered from a severe injury in August 2023, when he sustained a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle during Alavés’ pre-season. That recovery became part of the case for his inclusion, turning a long rehabilitation into a World Cup call-up.

The emotional pull has extended beyond the pitch. Carolina Baldini and other family members traveled to Kansas to be with him before his World Cup debut, and Baldini publicly expressed her excitement over seeing her son at the tournament. Simeone has also spoken of the pride he felt watching Lionel Messi lift the 2022 World Cup, a memory that sharpened the significance of his own arrival.

Now, with the focus already shifting to the Cape Verde clash, Simeone steps into the tournament as both a son of Argentina’s football lineage and a player intent on making that lineage look like his own.