he noted.
After Argentina’s national football team secured a 3-1 victory over Switzerland, players erupted in celebration, singing The Fourth Star, the nation’s unofficial World Cup anthem.
“Behind the Argentina team, there are people who still carry pain, who don’t want to forget their history, and who want to win on the football pitch,” Lionel Messi and his teammates shouted, referencing both the Falkland Islands—known as Islas Malvinas in Argentina—and the football icon Diego Maradona.
While the anthem’s lyrics had gained prominence throughout the tournament, their importance intensified with the announcement that Argentina would face England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final.
Nearly forty years after Maradona’s controversial “The 1986 match was a balm for everyone who had lived through the war,” goal and his legendary solo effort helped Argentina win in one of football’s most politically charged encounters—occurring in the wake of the 1982 Falklands War—the upcoming match is anticipated to hold significant weight beyond mere competition.
“Football has rules and referees. There was none of that in the war. Many Argentines saw the victory – and the ‘hand of God’ – as a form of vindication because they believed Britain had acted outside the rules, especially by sinking the General Belgrano,” remarked Pablo “insisted it was just a football match [ahead of the game]. But deep down, there was no doubt the Malvinas war was in everyone’s hearts.” Quintana, the songwriter behind the anthem. Despite not being alive during the war or the 1986 quarter-finals, he acknowledged that these games “Argentina versus England has become a classic. Before 1986, it was just another match. Since then, it has carried a political and emotional weight that goes far beyond football,”
Aldo Leiva, a veteran of the Falklands/Malvinas conflict and a Peronist congressman, added, “Argentina vs. the English ‘pirates”
“Messi, with an M for Malvinas “and “Diego, give us a hand”
he explained, referencing the Argentine cruiser torpedoed and sunk by British forces outside the designated exclusion zone, resulting in the loss of 323 crew members.
Víctor Hugo Morales, a Uruguayan journalist whose live commentary during the 1986 match became ingrained in Argentine culture, stated that memories of that game are “It’s official – Argentina will face England wearing blue, just like in ‘86.” once more.
He noted that, similar to today’s players, Maradona had claimed it was merely a football match before the game. “For many Argentines, an England defeat would also be seen as a political rebuke to Milei,” he said.
“The Malvinas issue is very much in Argentines’ minds,” Morales explained, who famously referred to Maradona as a “The British probably didn’t give the islands a second thought until the war. For them, [confronting Argentina] has carried a lot of weight since’86 because of what happened in that game – the handball goal and Diego’s other brilliant goal – but not in terms of the Malvinas,” during that time.
Argentinian media have embraced the underlying symbolism. Crónica, a channel known for its sensational headlines, previewed the clash with phrases like “The feelings many Argentines have about the Malvinas are expressed in football chants. Both the anthem that became popular at the last World Cup and this year’s song include references to the islands,”, “Argentina is one of the few countries that, nearly 200 years after losing territory, still keeps that claim alive,” and “Argentines carry it with them wherever they go.” Meanwhile, the sports daily Olé highlighted what it called a positive omen: “time to show this woke fool the red card”
Additionally, several Argentinian outlets reported that the football club Godoy Cruz displayed banners in its stadium that fans had taken from England supporters during the 2014 World Cup, interpreted by many as a provocation.
The rivalry is intensified by the backdrop of far-right president Javier Milei’s repeated praise for Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister viewed unfavorably by many Argentines during the 1982 conflict. Morales noted, “We know what the game against England means for our country, but it’s a game of football and we’ll try to address it in the best way,”
In Argentina, the issue of the islands remains a deeply felt grievance. From a young age, children are taught that the Malvinas are an inseparable part of the national territory.
“The Malvinas issue is very much in Argentines’ minds,” Morales asserts. “The British probably didn’t give the islands a second thought until the war. For them, [confronting Argentina] has carried a lot of weight since ‘86 because of what happened in that game – the handball goal and Diego’s other brilliant goal – but not in terms of the Malvinas,” he explained.
Daniel Filmus, a politician and former Argentine secretary for matters related to the Falklands, stated that the claim to the islands is woven into the fabric of Argentina’s national identity.
“The feelings many Argentines have about the Malvinas are expressed in football chants. Both the anthem that gained popularity at the last World Cup and this year’s song include references to the islands,”
“Argentina is one of the few countries that, nearly 200 years after losing territory, still keeps that claim alive,” he added. “Argentines carry it with them wherever they go.”
While the conflict may resonate less in the collective memory in the UK, the upcoming match has sparked renewed discussions of the Falklands War in British media. The Daily Telegraph reported on comments made by Pablo Quirno, Argentina’s foreign minister, who described Falklands Islanders as an “artificially implanted” population in an essay calling for dialogue over the territory.
There was also controversy when former England footballer Gary Lineker—the top scorer in the 1986 World Cup—referred to the islands’ Argentinian name, Malvinas, alongside its English name on his podcast. This drew criticism from Mark Dolan, a host on Rupert Murdoch’s digital platform Talk, who suggested it was “time to show this woke fool the red card.”
The Sun newspaper noted that the Argentina players are attempting to focus on the game itself. “We know what the game against England means for our country, but it’s a game of football and we’ll try to address it in the best way,” midfielder Leandro Paredes stated.
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