Diego Maradona led Argentina to its second World Cup victory in eight years in 1986. The team defeated West Germany in the final round of football’s premier tournament. Maradona is still revered by his fellow Argentines as a deity.
After 28 years, a new Argentine was at the top of football. Lionel Messi had returned the South American nation to the World Cup Finals, despite being a four-time Ballon d’Or-winning FC Barcelona player. Argentina played Germany in a matchup that brought back memories.
Germany won 1-0 after overtime, denying Argentina’s dream of a repeat of the past.
In 2018, Messi, then 31, brought his team back to the World Cup, but they were eliminated by France in the first round, 4-3. France was the eventual winner of the tournament.
We are now in 2022. Argentina, after a shock loss in the opening match to Saudi Arabia, smashed Mexico and Poland, advancing to the knockout stages. They defeated Australia, The Netherlands and Croatia, setting up a rematch against France, who had eliminated them four years earlier.
The match was all but won until France’s Mbappe scored two goals in the 80th minutes, forcing the match into extra time.
Mbappe’s 3rd goal in the 118th minutes was the third of the evening, and he scored the first World Cup Finals hat-trick in 56 years. The game went to penalty kicks.
As the teams lined themselves up for the penalty kicks, spectators around the globe held their breath. Mbappe scored twice, while Messi also netted, but Emi Martinez’s crucial save sealed the win and Argentina won its first World Cup since 1986.
The victors came home with new hardware and were greeted by their fellow Argentines.
In a world of money, power and influence, a family friend could make the difference between getting a job in banking or being accepted into an Ivy League school. A lobbyist with a silver tongue can change the law. Nine-figure checks can be used to purchase the winning bid for the World Cup, over countries such as the United States of America, England, Australia and South Korea.
We love stories about underdogs because we dislike the power and money that comes with them.
When the paradigm is reversed, those who lack power, money and influence are the winners, we love it. Consider the movies and books that have really taken off. Luke Skywalker defeating the Empire with a motley crew of rebels. Harry Potter, an orphan with scars on his head, saves the world from a force of evil that murdered his parents. Katniss everdeen of District 12 wins the Hunger Games.
We love underdog stories, because they are contrary to our reality. We like to think that the underdog can still succeed in a world of money and power.
Argentina is ranked 62nd in the list of countries based on GDP per capita. It’s sandwiched between Russia, and Malaysia. Referring to the list of countries, Croatia, France is ranked 55th. The Netherlands is ranked 24th.
But yet:
Argentina is the champion, no matter what. Sport, and especially sports on an international level, is so amazing for many reasons.
Fans gather at neighborhood bars from Rio to London to Sydney to New York to watch their teams play. As new chapters are written in century-old rivalries, players can carve their legacy into stone.
What is the best thing about sport? We are forced to compete on an equal basis.
It doesn’t really matter if you are born in a miseria housein Buenos Aires or a Parisian aristocracy. Your last name doesn’t matter. Your skin color doesn’t really matter. Your wealth doesn’t matter. Only one thing counts for 90 minutes: Can you score more goals against your opponent?
