Argentina and England football rivalry

The Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

–England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry

Sports rivalry

A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...

that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans

Fan (person)

A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...

. Games between the two teams, even those that are only friendly matches, are often marked by notable and sometimes controversial incidents.

The rivalry is unusual in that it is an intercontinental one; typically, footballing rivalries exist between countries that are close to one another, for example France–Italy or Argentina–Brazil. Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

is regarded in England as one of the major rivals of the English football team, along with such countries as Scotland

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

and Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

. The rivalry is also keenly felt in Argentina

Argentina

, locally described as a Clásico, where only matches against Brazil

Brazil national football team

The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

carry a greater significance in popular perception.

The rivalry emerged across several games during the latter half of the 20th century, even though as of 2008 the teams have played each other on only 14 occasions in full internationals. It was driven by various controversial incidents, particularly those in the games played between the teams at the 1966 and 1986 FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

s. The rivalry was also intensified, particularly in Argentina, by a non-footballing event, the 1982 Falklands War

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

between Argentina and the United Kingdom. However despite the intense rivalry between the national sides and its high media and public profile, numerous Argentine players have played for English club sides with few problems, with many such as Osvaldo Ardiles

Osvaldo Ardiles

Osvaldo César Ardiles , often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is a football coach, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentine national team...

or Ricardo Villa

Ricardo Villa

Ricardo Julio "Ricky" Villa is an Argentine football coach and former professional midfielder.-Career:He played successively for Quilmes, Club Atlético Tucumán and Racing Club...

becoming extremely popular with fans in England.

Overall, England hold the edge in the rivalry, with six victories to three by Argentina (including one by penalty shoot-out), and five draws. In the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup

England again have the better head-to-head record, with three victories (in 1962, 1966 and 2002) to Argentina's two (in 1986 and 1998).

Early history

In the latter half of the 19th century, the Argentine capital Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

had a large expatriate British community of some 10,000 people

English settlement in Argentina

English Argentines are citizens of Argentina who can claim ancestry originating in England. The English settlement in Argentina , took place in the period after Argentina's independence from Spain through the 19th century...

. As in many other parts of the world, football was introduced to Argentina by the British. The first recorded football match played in Argentina was organized by the Buenos Aires Cricket Club in Palermo, Buenos Aires

Palermo, Buenos Aires

Palermo is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is located in the northeast of the city, bordering the barrios of Belgrano to the north, Almagro and Recoleta to the south, Villa Crespo and Colegiales to the west and the Río de la Plata river to the east. With a total...

on 20 June 1867, and played between two teams of British railway workers, the White Caps and the Red Caps (it was common in the early days of football for teams to be distinguished by caps rather than jerseys).

The so-called "father of Argentine football" was a Glaswegian

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

schoolteacher, Alexander Watson Hutton

Alexander Watson Hutton

Alexander Watson Hutton was a Scottish teacher and sportsman and is considered the father of Argentine football. In 1893 he founded the "Argentine Association Football League", which is now known as the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino...

, who first taught football at the St Andrew's School in Buenos Aires in the early 1880s. On 4 February 1884 he founded the Buenos Aires English High School where he continued to instruct the pupils in the game. In 1891 Hutton established the Association Argentine Football League. Five clubs competed but only one season of games was played. A new league, The Argentine Association Football League was formed 21 February 1893 and this eventually became the Argentine Football Association

Argentine Football Association

The Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...

. In these early days of football in Argentina nearly all of the players and officials were expatriate Britons or of British extraction and the oldest football clubs in Argentina like Rosario Central

Rosario Central

Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season....

, Newell's Old Boys

Newell's Old Boys

Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario. The club was founded on November 3, 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell, one of the pioneers of Argentine football...

and Quilmes Athletic Club

Quilmes Atlético Club

Quilmes Atlético Club is a sports clubs of Argentina, based on the Partido de Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province. Quilmes is one of the oldest clubs of Argentina, having been founded in 1887. Its football squad currently plays in the Primera B Nacional Division....

and were all founded by British expatriates. As the popularity of the game increased the British influence on the game waned, and by 1912 the Association was renamed Asociación Argentina de Fútbol.

However the British influence on the game in Argentina shows in the continued use of terms such as "corner" and "wing" rather than Spanish translations. The names of several famous teams in Argentina are also English in origin such as River Plate

Club Atlético River Plate

Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....

or influenced by the language such as Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors

Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

.

The national teams had met before their 1966 clash — Argentina were the first team other than Scotland to play England at Wembley Stadium in 1951 when the inaugural full international match between the sides ended with a 2-1 victory for England. They also played two matches in 1953 in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

. The first, a 3-1 victory for Argentina, was considered an unofficial international by England, who fielded a second-string team dubbed an FA

The Football Association

The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

XI. However, this match appears in Argentina's list of official internationals, and is listed as a full international by FIFA, and so Argentines consider it to be their first ever victory over England. Afterwards, one Argentine politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

stated that "we nationalised the railways, and now we have nationalised football!".

The second 1953 international was an official match for both teams: England playing with a stronger line-up involving Alf Ramsey

Alf Ramsey

Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...

, Nat Lofthouse

Nat Lofthouse

Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career...

and Tom Finney

Tom Finney

Sir Thomas Finney, OBE is a former English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End, and for his performances in the English national side....

; Argentina sticking with the same line-up used in the first match. The game was abandoned after 36 minutes due to torrential rain, with a 0-0 scoreline. The teams next met in the 1962 FIFA World Cup

1962 FIFA World Cup

The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...

in Chile, where England's 3-1 victory at the Group Stage led to Argentina's exit from the tournament. Argentina's first victory over England in a full international occurred in a 1-0 win in Brazil in June 1964, during the Taça de Nações friendly tournament in Brazil.

1966 World Cup

In spite of all of this history, it was not until the 1966 FIFA World Cup

1966 FIFA World Cup

The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...

, held in and eventually won by England, that the rivalry picked up the sometimes bitter and fierce edge which it retains. The two teams met in the quarter-finals of the tournament, a game referred to in Argentina as el robo del siglo (the theft of the century)
which England won 1-0 thanks to a goal from striker Geoff Hurst

Geoff Hurst

Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...

, disputed by the Argentines due to a claimed offside.
However, the game was particularly noted for the sending-off of Argentina captain Antonio Rattín

Antonio Rattín

Antonio Ubaldo Rattín is a former Argentine football player, best known as a Boca Juniors midfielder, and because of an incident in a match at the 1966 FIFA World Cup...

, which Argentines considered to be unfair, including Rattín himself who had to be escorted from the pitch by police before he would leave.

It was reported in Argentina that the German referee, Rudolf Kreitlein

Rudolf Kreitlein

Rudolf Kreitlein is a former German international football referee from the 1960s.- England v Argentina, 1966 World Cup :...

, said that he had sent off Rattín because he didn't like how he had looked at him , while British newspapers cited the official as having given the reason as 'violence of the tongue', even though the referee spoke no Spanish Rattín's intention appeared to have been to speak with the German referee, as according to the Argentines he was ruling in favour of the English team. Rattín made a visible signal showing his captain's armband and intention to call a translator.
Ken Aston

Ken Aston

Kenneth George "Ken" Aston, MBE was an English teacher, soldier, and football referee, who was responsible for many important developments in football refereeing.- Early life and career :...

, the English supervisor of referees, entered the field to try to persuade Rattín to leave, but this exacerbated the situation since the Latin American teams had already suspected that the English and Germans

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

were collaborating to eliminate them from the competition. After his dismissal, Rattín finally sat down on the Queen

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

's red carpet for a moment.

After the match, England manager Alf Ramsey

Alf Ramsey

refused to allow his players to swap shirts with the Argentines — as is traditional after the conclusion of a football match — and later described the South Americans as "animals" in the press. The Argentine press and public were outraged, and one Argentine newspaper published a picture of the official World Cup mascot, World Cup Willie, dressed in pirate regalia

Regalia

Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...

to demonstrate their opinion of the England team.

1986 World Cup

After friendlies in 1974, 1977 and 1980, which showed no particular signs of rivalry, the next competitive game between the two teams occurred at the 1986 FIFA World Cup

1986 FIFA World Cup

The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...

in Mexico, again at the quarter-final stage. The encounter was made particularly incendiary by the Falklands War

Falklands War

which the two countries had fought four years previously, and many in Argentina saw the game as being an opportunity to exact revenge upon England for their loss of that conflict.

Argentina took the lead through a highly controversial goal from their star player Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

, who punched the ball into the England net with his hand. The goal was allowed to stand by the referee, who did not see the infringement, much to the fury of the English team and its fans. The goal, dubbed the "Hand of God goal" after Maradona's tongue-in-cheek description of how it was scored, has become infamous in England, particularly as England went on to lose the game and were knocked out of the tournament. Also in this game, Maradona scored a second goal, voted in 2002 as the best goal in World Cup history, before English striker Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker

Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...

pulled one back, but England could not score again and lost 2-1. Despite the skill of his second goal, Maradona wrote in his autobiography that "I sometimes think I preferred the one with my hand... It was a bit like stealing the wallet of the English." He also wrote, in reference to the Falklands conflict, that "it was as if we had beaten a country, not just a football team... Although we had said before the game that football had nothing to do with the Malvinas war, we knew they had killed a lot of Argentine boys there, killed them like little birds. And this was revenge."
The importance of both goals for the English people can be seen as the fact they were chosen 6th in the list of 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002 by Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

.

The game added hugely to the rivalry between the two teams in England where they felt that they had been cheated out of the competition by Maradona's hand ball. Meanwhile in Argentina, the game was seen as revenge for the Falklands War and for what they still see as the unfair game in the 1966 World Cup.

It is close to inevitable that, whenever the two teams play, this game (and particularly the Hand of God goal in England) will be referred to by the sports media in the build up to the game.

1991 friendly

On 25 May 1991, a friendly match between the two teams was played at Wembley. Argentina, now under the management of Alfio Basile

Alfio Basile

Alfio Basile , known as Coco, is an Argentine football coach and former player.-Playing career:Basile started his playing career at the Bella Vista club in his home city. From 1964 to 1970 he played for Racing Club, and then for Huracán, where he was a mainstay of the 1973 Metropolitano champions...

, were preparing for the forthcoming Copa América 1991

Copa América 1991

The 1991 Copa América football tournament was hosted by Chile, from July 8 to July 21, 1991. It was organized by CONMEBOL and all ten member nations participated.This was the last time that the tournament consisted of only CONMEBOL member nations...

, which they went on to win. The South Americans had a new generation of players mainly playing locally, replacing the very successful group of the previous two World Cup tournaments. The game was mostly under the control of England, but near the end Argentina came back from two goals down to draw 2-2. Darío Franco and Claudio García scored with headers. In spite of not being a victory, the result was celebrated in Argentina, especially due to both Argentine goals coming from corner kicks, which in Argentina were seen as being a part of the game at which the English usually excelled.

1998 World Cup

The next meeting between the two countries came in the round of 16 of the 1998 FIFA World Cup

1998 FIFA World Cup

The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...

, held in France. The game had many noteworthy aspects including a goal that is considered one of the greatest of all time in England, scored by young striker Michael Owen

Michael Owen

Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...

.

The match is also remembered for David Beckham

David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...

receiving a red card

Misconduct (football)

Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the...

. Beckham had been fouled by Diego Simeone and as Simeone stood up, he pushed on Beckham's back; Beckham felt provoked and swung his leg out at Simeone's leg and the referee sent Beckham off. Playing with ten men, England held out against the Argentine attacks and, in the dying moments of the game, during a scramble in the Argentine penalty area, Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell

Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...

headed the ball into the goal. As the England players began to celebrate a winning goal the referee blew for a foul that Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

had committed on the Argentine goalkeeper prior to the goal and disallowed it. The consequent free kick was taken very quickly, while the England players were still celebrating, and they had to rush back to successfully prevent the Argentines from scoring. The scores stayed level at 2-2 until the end of extra time. In the ensuing penalty shoot-out

Penalty shootout (football)

A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...

that decided the game, Argentina won 4-3 after two English kicks were saved by their goalkeeper Carlos Roa

Carlos Roa

Carlos Ángel Roa is a retired Argentine footballer who played as a goalkeeper.Most of his professional career - which was interrupted due to his Seventh-day Adventist Church beliefs - was spent with Racing Avellaneda and in Spain with Mallorca, winning one major trophy with the latter.Roa was...

.

There was heavy criticism in England about Argentina's "theatrics" which many fans held responsible for stealing the win. Immediately following the game, Beckham was vilified by the English press for his perceived petulance and naivety on the international stage despite Simenone's subsequent "confession" of the actual events. The headline in The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...

the following day described the England team as: "10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy".

2002 World Cup

Another friendly was played in 2000, again at Wembley, but ended 0-0. Then, the teams were drawn to meet once more in the group stages of the 2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

. Having been knocked out by Argentina in two of the previous three World Cups which they had competed in, tension in England was high. This tension was raised by the England

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

team only gaining a draw in their opening match against Sweden

Sweden national football team

The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...

, meaning that they needed a good result against Argentina

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

to avoid being eliminated from the competition.

David Beckham

David Beckham

, who was then the England captain, scored the only goal of the match, a penalty kick

Penalty kick

A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

following a foul on Michael Owen

Michael Owen

, which many felt redeemed Beckham in the eyes of the English sporting public for his dismissal four years earlier. As The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

newspaper described it in their match report, "vilified for the red card that helped to usher England out of the 1998 World Cup at the hands of Argentina, he wakes this morning with his halo brighter than ever."
Despite a late onslaught from the Argentine players at the end of the second half of the game, England maintained the scoreline and won 1-0, and partly as a result of this Argentina (one of the pre-tournament favourites to win) were knocked out in the first round.

Although the Argentine players and public (and many neutral pundits) criticised the awarding of the penalty kick, the game was generally played in a good, if highly competitive, spirit, and there was none of the bitterness which had affected the 1966, 1986 and 1998 meetings.

2005 friendly

The most recent game between the two nations occurred on neutral ground in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Switzerland on 12 November 2005 when the two teams, having both already qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup

2006 FIFA World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

, met in a friendly. Both teams selected strong sides. England twice came from behind to beat Argentina 3-2 with goals from Michael Owen

Michael Owen

from crosses by Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard

Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...

and Joe Cole in the dying moments. The result and performance were welcomed enthusiastically by the English press and public. The general nature of the match was also less intensely vitriolic than on previous occasions, with The Times reporting: "by the unpleasant standards of previous confrontations, the skirmish between England and Argentina edged towards the saccharine, although the concept is deeply relative. The latest encounter featured punches on the terraces, songs about the Falkland Islands, jibes regarding players' sexuality and general churlishness that, believe it or not, represents a significant thaw in diplomatic relations." England's victory was the first time either side had won consecutive matches against the other.

Argentina v England matches

Facts and figures

Overall record (15 matches): England - 6 wins; Argentina - 3 wins; 5 draws (including one won by Argentina by penalty shoot-out), no result once
Competitive matches (5 matches, all at World Cups): England - 3 wins; Argentina - 1 win; 1 match drawn after which Argentina won a penalty shootout.
In Argentina (3 matches): Argentina - 1 win; one draw, one match abandoned without result
In England (6 matches): England - 4 wins; 2 draws -
Neutral venues (6 matches): England - 3 wins; Argentina - 2 wins; 1 match drawn after which Argentina won a penalty shootout.
Both teams have knocked each other out on the way to winning World Cups - England in 1966 and Argentina in 1986
England also defeated Argentina at the 1962 and 2002 tournaments, contributing to Argentina being knocked out in the Group Stages of these competitions
Argentina defeated England 4-3 on penalties (after the match was drawn 2-2 after extra time) at the 1998 tournament, the only time they have faced each other in a penalty shoot-out

Club level

At the club level, matches have also been heated. Argentine and English clubs have not had many chances to play against each other, but when they have done so there have been notable incidents. The most memorable matches happened in the now defunct European/South American Cup. In 1968 Estudiantes de La Plata

Estudiantes de La Plata

Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its history....

played against Manchester United for the cup, then known as the "Intercontinental Cup". The first leg was in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

where Estudiantes' supporters were highly vocal and the game was played in a very physical manner with a disputed red card and physical injury.
Manchester United could not recover the 1-0 deficit in the second leg and Estudiantes won the title.

Nine years later, in 1977, Liverpool FC

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

refused to play against Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors

, so Boca played against European runner-up Borussia Mönchengladbach

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

and obtained their first cup. In 1978, Liverpool alleged "scheduling conflicts"; the cup was not played.

In 1984 Independiente

Club Atlético Independiente

Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....

played Liverpool for the trophy that, by this point, had been renamed the "Toyota Cup

Intercontinental Cup (football)

The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

". The format had also changed, to a single game played in Japan, making it easier for teams to attend. Independiente won 1-0 with a goal by José Percudani

José Alberto Percudani

José Alberto Percudani is a former Argentine football striker.Between 1982 and 1988 he played for Independiente, winning both the Libertadores Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 1984 with the team...

.

At the 2007 Peace Cup (held in Japan) between Argentine side CA River Plate and English club, Reading F.C.

Reading F.C.

Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

The game ended in a 1-0 win for the Argentines.

The most recent match between an English and Argentine club was between CA River Plate and Everton F.C.

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

July 2009, a friendly staged on neutral soil in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Canada as part of the inaugural Edmonton Cup

Edmonton Cup

The Edmonton Cup is a one game association football tournament which takes place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.The first game took place on 25 July 2009 between the Argentine club River Plate and the English club Everton at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to celebrate the 100th...

, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Alberta Soccer Association

Alberta Soccer Association

The Alberta Soccer Association is the governing body for soccer in the Canadian province of Alberta. The association was formed in 1911 as the Alberta Football Association. It is known to most members and in most situations simply as "ASA."...

. River Plate won, 1-0.

Argentine players at English clubs

A number of Argentine footballers, some of them high-profile stars, have played and still play for English clubs, among them Osvaldo Ardiles

Osvaldo Ardiles

Osvaldo César Ardiles , often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is a football coach, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentine national team...

and Ricardo Villa

Ricardo Villa

Ricardo Julio "Ricky" Villa is an Argentine football coach and former professional midfielder.-Career:He played successively for Quilmes, Club Atlético Tucumán and Racing Club...

, who joined Tottenham Hotspur and Alberto Tarantini

Alberto Tarantini

Alberto Tarantini is an Argentine former football player. He played as a defensive left back early in his career, and later as a wing back....

who joined Birmingham City when players from outside the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

were rare in English football, and many others since the advent of the Premier League and the increase in the number of foreign players.

Fans' behaviour

Much of the colour and intensity in this rivalry is added by the fans themselves. While matches prior to the 1982 Falklands War

Falklands War

generated interest and emotion, it was the war itself that fuelled passions and elevated this rivalry. Before the 1986 game fans from both countries had a fight in a Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

street. During games, however, behaviour so far has been generally peaceful on both sides; probably because of the heightened security in the stadia.

Although, in general, English fans are only anti-Argentine when the two national teams come face-to-face, in Argentina fans still use anti-English chants on a regular basis at many domestic matches. An oft-used chant is "El que no salta es un inglés" (whoever doesn't jump is an Englishman). This chant is used to rally the whole stadium into jumping, while threatening ridicule to those not jumping with this perceived insult.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Early history

1966 World Cup

1986 World Cup

1991 friendly

1998 World Cup

2002 World Cup

2005 friendly

Argentina v England matches

Facts and figures

Club level

Argentine players at English clubs

Fans' behaviour

See also

External links