Argentina’s Football History :
Argentina national football team also known as La Albiceleste (The White and Sky Blue), is governed by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The team represents the country in all international tournaments and is currently positioned at 3rd in the World Rankings. Argentina’s national football team is considered as one of the strongest football teams in the world.
It first entered the World Football Cup in the year 1930 and registered its Federations Cup entry in 1992. The national football team also played in the South American Championship from 1916-1967 and achieved immense success in the tournament. It has been participating in the Copa America tournament since 1975. The team has also participated in the Pan American games and from the time Argentina started playing they were successful in grabbing three titles in a row in 1951, 1955 and 1959, and other three titles in 1971, 1995 and 2003. It also finished runners-up twice in 1963 and 2011. For the first time in its football history, it reached the top position at the World Football Rankings in the year 2007.
The national football team of Argentina started participating in the Olympic Games in 1928 and since then it has won two gold medals in 2004 and 2008, grabbed two silver medals in 1928 and 1996 and entered the quarter-finals in 1960 and 1988. Argentina’s football history is incomplete without mentioning the name of its ace footballer Diego Maradona, who was a magnificent player with his successful career extending from 1977-1994.
Argentina’s Success Story :
Argentina is the only team beside France to have won three important titles; The World Football Cup, the Confederations Cup and the Olympics. In the World FootballCup it has grabbed the title twice in 1978 and 1986 and finished runners-up twice in 1930 and 1990. In the Confederations Cup, it won the title in 1992 and finished runners-up twice in 1995 and 2005. In the South American Championship, the team has made its country proud by winning 12 titles from 1916-1967. Besides all above mentioned, it also won the continental championship Copa America consecutively in the year 1991 and 1993 and finished runners-up twice in 2004 and 2011. The team with its immense success saga has also qualified for the upcoming World Football Cup.
Argentina squad |
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| Goalkeepers: | Mariano Andujar (Catania/ITA) Sergio Romero (Monaco/FRA) Agustin Orion (Boca Juniors) |
Defenders: | Lisandro Lopez (Getafe/ESP) Hugo Campagnaro (Inter Milan/ITA) Federico Fernandez (Napoli/ITA) Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City/ENG) Ezequiel Garay (Benfica/POR) Marcos Rojo (Sporting Lisbon/POR) Jose Basanta (Monterrey/MEX) Nicolas Otamendi (Atletico Mineiro/BRA) Martin Demichelis (Manchester City/ENG) Gabriel Mercado (River Plate) |
| Midfielders: | Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/ESP) Jose Sosa (Atletico Madrid/ESP) Augusto Fernandez (Celta Vigo/ESP) Ricky Alvarez (Inter Milan/ITA) Lucas Biglia (Lazio/ITA) Ever Banega (Newell’s Old Boys) Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors) Maxi Rodriguez (Newell’s Old Boys) Enzo Perez (Benfica/POR) Fabian Rinaudo (Catania/ITA) |
Forwards: | Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP) Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid/ESP) Rodrigo Palacio (Inter Milan/ITA) Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli/ITA) Sergio Agüero (Manchester City/ENG) Ezequiel Lavezzi (Paris SG/FRA) Franco Di Santo (Werder Bremen/GER) |
Argentina’s performance in all World Football Cups :
| World Football Cup Year | World Football Cup Hosting Nation | World Football Cup Qualification | Quarter Final Birth | Semi Final Birth | Third Place Secured | Reached Final | Title Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | South Africa | Yes | Yes | No | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Germany | Yes | Yes | No | – | – | – |
| 2002 | South Korea | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | France | Yes | Yes | No | – | – | – |
| 1994 | United States | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1990 | Italy | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Lost |
| 1986 | Mexico | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Won |
| 1982 | Spain | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1978 | Argentina | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Won |
| 1974 | West Germany | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1970 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | England | Yes | Yes | No | – | – | – |
| 1962 | Chile | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1958 | Sweden | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1950 | Brazil | Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1938 | France | Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1934 | Italy | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Lost |
| Total | 19 World Football Cups | 15 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 |