Why Argentina is the team we love to hate

With the prospect of Messi closing out his glorious career with the ultimate prize it’s likely most neutral fans will be rooting for Argentina in today’s World Cup final. The only place where that might not be true – apart from Brazil – is England, where there may even be an unlikely revival of the entente cordiale in some quarters. For Argentina have held the title of the ‘team we love to hate’ mantle for some time now. 

There have been a few signs of this long simmering animus in the run up to the final with much of the British press placing the blame for the unpleasantness in the quarter final against Holland at the door of the Argentinians – with Martin Tyler recalling Alf Ramsey’s ‘animals’ comment (which referenced their fiery quarter final in 1966) when he interviewed Gary Neville for his podcast.

The origins of all this are well-known to World Cup fans: Rattin’s stroppy protest in 1966, then Maradona’s hand ball goal against England in 1986, which rankles not so much, one suspects, because he did it, but because he celebrated it and never acknowledged the injustice.