The Argentinian population has endured horrible things throughout the last century. Specifically, the previous 50 years. They survived a dictatorship, a war with England, political unrest, and an unstable economy.
Argentina hosted the 1978 World Cup during the dictatorship under rule. A concentration camp was only ten blocks away from where the trophy was being lifted up in victory. People would be taken there and would “disappear” from their families and communities for speaking out against the government.
In these dark times, there was a man who emerged into the sports world and made many Argentinian people happy. His name was Diego Armando Maradona.
Maradona, with his skillful footwork, dribbled past players around the world and led the national team to victory in the 1986 World Cup. Argentinians across the country and people around the world fell in love with him. He brought light amid darkness in their country. The nation watched him as he took the national team to the 1986 World Cup and came back home with the trophy. One of the most memorable games from that World Cup was a game between Argentina and England due to its deeper meaning. In 1982, Argentina and England went to war for control of the Falkland Islands. People argue that he single-handedly helped this team due to his many dribbles, assists, and goals.
Unfortunately, his career would come to an end as his drug addiction came to light. He was expelled from playing, and people around the world were heartbroken. Little did Argentina know that Maradona was only the beginning. Argentinians saw a lot of great players during this period of time after Maradona’s expulsion. Juan Roman Riquelme, Martín Palermo, and Carlos Tévez are just a few of the many names that had amazing careers in soccer.
Argentina would soon experience another great athlete. A person who is arguably better than Maradona. His name was Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi was a very talented young kid, playing soccer in local leagues in Rosario. His only obstacle was his growth hormone deficiency. Coaches were skeptical of his athletic skills due to his height. However, he proved them wrong as soon as he touched a soccer ball. One day, he was seen by a Barcelona scout and soon after13-year old Messi was on his way to La Masia Academy in Barcelona. Little did he know, this would be the start of his amazing career.
Argentina was still going through many troubles as a country and the dollar went up faster as time passed.
As for soccer, they were not winning titles. Despite having arguably some of the best players on their team, they never won.
I had the chance to experience the Copa America final in 2016 at my local MetLife stadium. It was Argentina vs Chile. Their national rivalry is very evident, stemming from many years of racism and constant conflict overtime. I was excited to see Argentina play and I was hopeful they would win.
However, slowly, even as a young child, I noticed some problems. The players were not playing as a team. Messi wasn’t playing his best. I saw the frustration start to heighten in the Argentinian crowd. The score ended up being 0-0, going to penalties. I witnessed Messi miss his penalty, the ball slowly flying above the crossbar.
Chile ended up winning, and I walked back to the car in tears. Tears of disappointment. We had lost again.
The disappointment came again in the World Cup in 2018. We were eliminated in the Round of 16, an embarrassment and something very unexpected for the Argentinian national team. It seemed that this loop would never stop. Argentines had lost hope, in their star player, in their country and their national team. Until the Copa America in 2021.
2020 was a difficult year for Argentina. The COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone around the world. Here in the United States, our quarantine was pretty flexible. Argentina was a lot more strict. People could not go outside unless they were getting groceries or an actual necessity, police patrolled the streets, people were in their houses for months, and people around the nation became hopeless, not knowing when this would end.
Major sports events, one of them were the Olympics, started to start back up in 2021 but there was an empty audience, everyone watching from home for safety precautions.
So as Argentina won more games in the Copa (thanks to a great team with an amazing goalie and great team chemistry), they qualified for the finals. The final was played against Brazil.
Argentina ended up winning with an amazing goal by Angel Di Maria. Even in an empty stadium, the joy of Argentenian fans was contagious. From their homes, jumping happily, changing songs and embracing each other; This was the joy Argentina needed, one win, in the midst of all of their other losses.
In December 2022, Argentina qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. Argentina was one of the favorites, due to the fact they were the American champions. They had to win their first three games to go through to the Round of 16. Their first game was against Saudi Arabia, and to everyone’s shock, they lost.
Their next game was against Mexico. If they lost this game, they would be eliminated from the World Cup and not even go through to the Round of 16. Argentina could not afford another loss.
A goal from Lionel Messi and a new player on the national team, Enzo Fernandez, secured the win for Argentina. They played Poland, another team in their group, and also won that game. They were going through!
The team found themselves on their way to another World Cup final. This time, against France, a soccer superpower.
Argentinian fans sat down in fear, watching from their TV screens around the world. Argentina started off strong in the first 60 minutes, one was a penalty and another was a perfect goal from Di Maria, going down in history as one of the best goals from that World Cup.
To everyone’s surprise, when the second half started, the France team started to come back and Kylian Mbappe, France’s star player, ended up scoring 2 points to equalize. Argentinian fans were devastated. They had been so close to winning. Could this be another World Cup where it just slips right from their fingers?
The game went into overtime, an extra 30 minutes with two 15 minute halves. The first half was uneventful. However, the second half started with a goal from Messi and was then followed by another goal from Mbappe. Not only Argentinian fans, but soccer fans around the world watched in fear and excitement, not knowing what would happen next.
Penalties began. Emiliano Martinez, Argentina’s goalie, notorious for stopping penalties,stopped two penalties against Colombia in the quarterfinals for the Copa America in 2021 and also stopped penalties against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals for the World Cup in 2022. It was his time to shine. It began with Kylian Mbappe, scoring another point, making him break a record of most goals scored in a World Cup final. Then, Messi scored another penalty. Then, Martinez’s talent truly shined. He blocked a penalty from a French player and another French player kicked it, just missing the goal. Argentina was up 3-2.
Montiel walked up to the kicking spot. The whole arena was silent. Everyone in their homes was waiting with anticipation. As the soccer ball beautifully landed in the net, Argentinian fans rejoiced. The first World Cup in 36 years. What a victory. Tears were shed, laughs were shared, memories were made.
Argentina as a nation smiled as Lionel Messi held up the trophy. Confetti filled the air. The happiness was felt around the whole world, not just in Argentina. However, as a nation, this win meant something completely different. This victory let a whole new generation know that they are important in the world. They mean something and whatever trials and tribulations they may face, they can be proud to be Argentinian, and soccer gave that to them.
