The draw for the 2022 Qatar World Cup has been carried out and the group stage has been defined, so the Mexican team led by Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino will have to face Poland, Argentina and Saudi Arabiain that order in Group C.
The second rival of the Aztec team in the World Cup will be the Argentine team under the command of Lionel Scalloni at the end of November and for this reason, we share five things that you may not have known about this historic selection.
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It is no secret to anyone that Argentina is considered one of the great powers of international football, being, at the level of major teams, one of the three countries with the most official titles won in historywith 18 titles along with Brazil and being surpassed only by Uruguay, which has 19 trophies endorsed by FIFA.
In total, Argentina has won more than 50 official international titles, adding those achieved at the level of the main, Olympic and youth teams.
But those that are considered by FIFA as “Category A” in total are 18 with two World Cup trophies, a Confederations Cup and 15 Copa America championships.
The first two world championships of the Argentine team were in the World Cup 1978 organized precisely by the albiceleste country, where they beat the Netherlands in the final and later in Mexico 1986 where it was consecrated Diego Armando Maradona.
However, the Argentine team has had three unfortunate runner-up finishes, being in Uruguay 1930 (the first edition of the World Cup in history) falling to the locals, also losing in Italy 1990 and Brazil 2014 against the same country, Germany.
With the recent title of Copa America 2021 conquered in the country of its staunch rival, Brazil, the albiceleste team equaled Uruguay as the selection with more continental championshipswith 15 Copa América trophies (1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959-I, 1991, 1993 and 2021).
But, in turn, it is the nation with most finals lost in the history of the contest with 14 runner-up finishes (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959-II, 1967, 2004, 2007, 2015 and 2016).
The former soccer player and current Argentine coach is Lionel Scalloni, 43 years old, given his good work at the head of the albiceleste team, has earned him the nickname of the ‘Scaloneta‘, in recent months soccer fans have heard from the strategist who has commanded Argentina since 2018.
However, few know him in depth because he is a young coach with no experience at the club level who came to lead Argentina with an internship, but who ultimately ended up assuming responsibility for the first team due to his good results.
His experience can be summed up by directing six U-20 games for Argentina in the summer of 2018 and after the departure of jorge sampaoli took the reins on an interim basis, but kept the position that he holds to date, being close to his first 50 commitments in command and having already won a trophy: the Copa America 2021.
This is something that many of us know, but sometimes we don’t take into account that Argentina has great soccer players at the national team level and the list could be very extensive, but analyzing many factors, the list can be reduced to four great legends.
Among which stand out Diego Armando Maradona, being elected Best Player of the 20th century in a vote held in 2000 on the FIFA website; The front Alfredo DiStefanohistorical top scorer, idol and honorary president of Real Madrid from November 5, 2000 until his death in June 2014, likewise, being chosen as one of the five Best Players of the 20th Century by the IFFHS and also by all Ballon d’Or winners until 1999.
The front Mario Alberto Kempestop scorer in the 1978 World Cup, awarded the Golden Eleven to the best player in Europe that same year and chosen by the IFFHS as the 6th best Argentine player of the 20th century and the striker Leo Messi still active, captain, historical top scorer of the Argentine team (81-?) and with more appearances (160-?), being the maximum winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or with seven trophies and considered by many specialists and fans, as the best player in football history.
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