Three World Cups in the window
Argentina has won three World Cups in 1978, 1986 and 2022. The first one is raised at home during the Mundial. A controversial competition, because it was organized under the dictatorship, two years after the coup d'état. And it was the head of the military junta, General Videla, who gave the trophy to the Albiceleste and its captain Daniel Passarella, after the victory against the Netherlands of Johnny Rep in the final (3-1 after extra time). Eight years later, the Argentinians would once again lift the coveted trophy in Mexico during a tournament marked by the footwork and exploits of a certain Diego Armando Maradona at the top of his game. At the age of 26, the Argentine genius became a legend in an unforgettable quarter-final. Facing England, four years after the Falklands war that had set relations between the two countries ablaze, Argentina got its revenge (2-1 victory). The Pibe de Oro first scored with his hand, the famous "Hand of God" as the attacking midfielder himself called it after the game, then he gave himself a fantastic ride 5 minutes later where he went through the whole English defense. The semi-final against Belgium (2-0) was also marked with the seal of the native of Lanus, as Maradona signed a double in a stadium Azteca of Mexico City in fusion (more than 110 000 spectators!). In the final, the Argentinians beat the Germans (3-2), who had beaten the French in the semi-finals, and the captain of the Albiceleste was able to lift the World Cup and make a whole nation go wild with joy. 36 years later, Lionel Messi's Argentina won their third World Cup after a legendary match against France. While the two teams could not be separated during the regulation time (3-3), they face each other in the penalty shootout where Argentina finally dominates France with 4 goals against 2. In the joy and the gladness, the Albiceleste brings the World Cup home, carried by Lionel Messi, elected best player of this competition.
Diego Armando Maradona, eternal legend
The 1986 World Cup has left its mark on people's minds. And since then, the Argentine legend has been a true living god in the land of the gauchos! If he was known at the local level since his beginnings as a young gifted player at Argentinos Junior (he started at 16 years in the first division), whose stadium in Buenos Aires bears his name today, Diego Armando Maradona became world famous in 1986. And one of the best players of all time remains for eternity the sportsman who offered his greatest glory to Argentine sport. At the club, after a stint at Boca Juniors, he arrived in Europe at FC Barcelona. But his time in Catalonia was complicated, marked by health problems (hepatitis in 1982, a broken ankle the following year), a restless nightlife (he admitted that it was in the city of Gaudí that he began to use cocaine) and even the instigation of a general brawl in the final of the King's Cup that sounded the death knell of his Barcelona adventure. He then took the direction of Italy and Naples. At the foot of Vesuvius, the Argentine genius and the boiling Neapolitan tifosi were made to get along. Maradona became a legend at the San Paolo stadium in the wake of the 1986 world title. Adored by the fans, he wrote the most beautiful lines of the club's history (Italian champions in 1987 and 1990, UEFA Cup winner in 1989 and Italian Cup winner in 1987). The 1990 World Cup is organized in Italy. And Maradona will qualify Argentina in the final in "his" stadium of Naples against ... Italy. Proof of the love that the Neapolitans have for him, some go as far as celebrating the qualification of Argentina and their idol. In the final, however, the Albiceleste lost to Germany. Even today, portraits of the Pibe de Oro adorn the walls of the Neapolitan city. The decline began in 1991, following a positive test for cocaine that kept him away from the field for many months. He finally left Napoli the following year for Sevilla, where he stayed only one season. Despite a return to Argentina (Newell's Old Boys, Boca Junior), Maradona will never really find his level. Unfortunately, despite a new goal of great class against Greece during the 1994 World Cup in the United States, he tested positive for ephedrine during an anti-doping test and was asked to pack his bags and leave the selection. End of a very rich history, which was also marked by the two Copas America won in 1991 and 1993. He finally ended his career in 1997, playing for Boca Junior in a Superclásico. Proof of the mark that Maradona left in the whole country, a religion to his glory was even born in 1998. It is the Maradonian Church, which has nearly 80,000 followers! This religious movement has its own prayers. One of them starts with "Our Diego, who is on the field, may your left foot be blessed, may your magic open our eyes...".
Lionel Messi, the heir
During the following decade, the results were disappointing. Despite a great generation (Ayala, Zanetti, Simeone, Veron, Ortega, Batistuta), Argentina did not reach the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup in France. After a new disillusionment during the Copa America 1999 (defeat against the eternal rival Brazil in the quarterfinals), Argentina did not even pass the group stage in Japan and South Korea for the World Cup 2002 with Marcelo Bielsa on the bench. The Argentinians, defeated in the final of the Copa America 2004 by Brazil in a penalty shootout, found a smile on their face when the team led by the young Carlos Tevez won the Olympic gold medal in Athens a few weeks later. From the 2006 World Cup onwards, the country began to dream again, as the Albiceleste finally had a worthy heir to Diego Maradona: the brilliant Lionel Messi. Born in Rosario on June 24, 1987, Leo Messi, nicknamed la pulga (the flea) for his small size and agility, is the new superstar of soccer. He is often compared to Maradona, whose legendary goals he almost identically reproduces. But if the youngster is winning everything with FC Barcelona, his journey with the national team is more complicated. After a quarter-final loss to the Germans at the 2006 World Cup, the Argentines retained their Olympic title in Beijing in 2008. Messi, best player of the tournament, offers an assist to Angel Di Maria who scores the only goal of the final against Nigeria (1-0). A tournament also marked by the slap inflicted on the Brazilians (3-0) in the semi-finals. Close to join Maradona on the roof of the world during the 2014 World Cup, the Argentine captain falls once again against Germany in the final (1-0 a.p.). If he did not find the fault during the last game, the Argentinean fire-flyer will be elected best player of the tournament. A meager consolation and a flash in the pan, before an umpteenth decline in the level of the selection. A selection that manages to qualify in extremis for the 2018 World Cup in Russia where it will fall in the round of 16 against the French team, future winner of the event. A crazy match (4-3), marked by the volley of Benjamin Pavard and the flights of Kylian Mbappé. New disappointment in 2019 where Argentina loses in the semi-finals of the Copa America against the Brazilian arch-enemy, although deprived of Neymar, and future winner. Another missed opportunity to enter a little more in the heart of the Argentinians for the one who piled up the titles with Barça, of which he is the most titled player in history (36 trophies in 2022). The curse was broken in 2022 when Argentina beat France in the final and in penalty kicks, in a Messi-Mbappé duel that will be remembered. Leo is also the only seven-time Ballon d'Or winner (from 2009 to 2012 and then 2015, 2020 and 2021) and has won four Champions League and... ten Spanish championships! With the victory of the Argentinians in the World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi, at the end of his career, wins the last title that was missing from his record. After having equaled the feat of the great Maradona in 1986, the captain of the team raises this dreamed Cup with great emotion. A record of achievement that does not stop at the world of soccer, because Lionel Messi has been named three times among the most influential people on the planet. His aura is due to his game, but also to his personality. The player often celebrates his goals in a simple way and sometimes with his eyes pointed to the sky to dedicate them to his grandmother. His fair play on the field and his generosity make him a respected and appreciated player around the world. In Spain, Lionel Messi entered the dictionary in 2013 thanks to the neologism "inmessionante" which translates as: "Qualifier referring to Lionel Messi, his perfect way of playing soccer, his unlimited ability to surpass himself". That's it!
Boca-River: A superclásico for an eternal rivalry
But soccer in Argentina is also the hottest game in the world. The Boca Juniors-River Plate derby resonates in the minds of football fans as a special match. Exceptional. Even the famous Barcelona-Real Madrid clásico or the Liverpool-Manchester clash in the north of England seem to be a bit of a dull affair compared to the huge Superclásico! In the newspapers, in the schoolyard, at the coffee shops... this great sporting event is omnipresent as soon as the date approaches. It must be said that every time, the magic happens between the two giants of Buenos Aires! From a rivalry that originated in the 1930's, the derby has become a blockbuster. Less than 15 km away are the Monumental, River's stadium, and the Bombonera, Boca's den. While the former is nestled in the affluent neighborhood of Nuñez in the northeast, the latter is located in the streets of Boca, with its brightly colored tin houses, the popular neighborhood in the southwest. And at the kick-off, a whole country has already chosen between the white with red stripes of River or the yellow and blue of Boca. The Superclásico becomes a spectacle of its own: smoke bombs, fireworks, "papelitos" thrown on the pitch and the deafening chants of a crowd in fusion, everything is there! Beyond this unique folklore, clashes between hinchas (supporters) have sometimes degenerated in the past. And today, the fans of both teams are not allowed to travel the ten kilometers or so to visit their sworn enemy. Nevertheless, a Boca-River is a unique match. A match in which Enzo Francescoli, Alfredo Di Stefano, Hernán Crespo or Radamel Falcao played for River and Diego Maradona, Juan Román Riquelme, Martín Palermo and Carlos Tévez played for Boca. In short, a legendary match that has always thrilled ball fans around the world. Diego Maradona found a formula to describe this match out of the ordinary. "I played a Barcelona-Real Madrid, which is a very important match, because it involves two huge cities. But Boca-River is something else. It's like spending the night with Julia Roberts," he said before his last game. And for his farewell to professional soccer as a player in 1997, the legend chose Boca-River.
