Although Gallardo had a series of injuries (including a hamstring strain due to a lack of rest between matches) before the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, he played in the group stage against Jamaica and Croatia and in the eighth-finals victory against England; the team lost in the quarter-finals to Holland. After a near-perfect performance in the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualification, Argentina entered the World Cup in Japan and South Korea as one of the favourites; however, they were eliminated in the group stage for the first time in history. Although Gallardo was part of the squad, he spent the tournament on the bench. Looking back at his injury-plagued World Cup participation, he called not being able to compete at the same level as the other players "the worst thing that can happen to a footballer". During his international career, Gallardo made 44 appearances and scored 13 goals.