he explained.
After Argentina’s impressive 3-1 win over Switzerland, the national football team erupted into jubilant celebrations, passionately singing The Fourth Star, regarded as an unofficial World Cup anthem.
Chanting “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 paid homage to the Falkland Islands—known as Islas Malvinas in Argentina—and the legendary footballer, Diego Maradona.
Although the song’s lyrics had already resonated during the tournament, their meaning intensified with the announcement that Argentina would face England in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Nearly four decades after Maradona’s controversial “The 1986 match was a balm for everyone who had lived through the war,” goal and his stunning solo effort paved the way for Argentina’s victory in a highly charged match following the 1982 Falklands War, the forthcoming semi-final is framed as more than just a game in both Argentina and the UK.
“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 musician who infused “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,” into the song’s lyrics. Although Quintana, 30, was born after the war and the 1986 quarter-finals, he understands that these encounters “Argentina vs. the English ‘pirates”
Aldo Leiva, a veteran of the Falklands/Malvinas conflict and a Peronist congressman, pointed out, “Messi, with an M for Malvinas “and “Diego, give us a hand”
“It’s official – Argentina will face England wearing blue, just like in ‘86.”
he elaborated, referencing the Argentine cruiser sunk by the British outside the designated exclusion zone, which resulted in the loss of 323 crew members.
Víctor Hugo Morales, a Uruguayan journalist whose live commentary during the 1986 match has become part of Argentine folklore, noted that memories of that match are “For many Argentines, an England defeat would also be seen as a political rebuke to Milei,” once more.
He remarked that, like today’s Argentine players, Maradona had asserted prior to the match that it was merely a football game. However, he acknowledged, “The Malvinas issue is very much in Argentines’ minds,”
“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,” Morales stated, who famously described Maradona as a “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,” during that time.
Argentinian media have embraced the match’s symbolism. Crónica, a channel known for provocative headlines, previewed the match with phrases like “Argentina is one of the few countries that, nearly 200 years after losing territory, still keeps that claim alive,” “Argentines carry it with them wherever they go.” and “time to show this woke fool the red card” The sports daily Olé highlighted what it considered a favorable omen: “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,”
Moreover, several Argentinian outlets reported that Godoy Cruz, a local football club, displayed banners in its stadium that supporters had taken from English fans during the 2014 World Cup, widely viewed as a taunt.
This rivalry unfolds against the backdrop of far-right president Javier Milei’s repeated admiration for Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister seen as a principal adversary in Argentina during the 1982 conflict. Morales observed, “For many Argentines, an England defeat would also be seen as a political rebuke to Milei.”
In Argentina, the status of the islands remains a deeply contentious issue. Even before the war, children were taught that the Malvinas were an essential part of the nation’s territory.
“The Malvinas issue is very much in Argentines’ minds,” Morales stated. “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.”
Daniel Filmus, a politician and former secretary of Falklands matters in Argentina, emphasized that the claim to the islands is woven into the 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 asserted. “Argentines carry it with them wherever they go.”
While the conflict may have faded from collective memory in the UK, the upcoming match has reignited discussions about the Falklands War in British media. The Daily Telegraph reported on comments made by Pablo Quirno, Argentina’s foreign minister, who characterized Falklands Islanders as an “artificially implanted” population in an essay requesting discussions about the territory.
Controversy also surrounded former England footballer Gary Lineker, the top scorer in the 1986 World Cup, who mentioned the islands’ Argentinian name, Malvinas, on his podcast. This led to criticism from Mark Dolan, a presenter on Rupert Murdoch’s digital platform Talk, who remarked it was “time to show this woke fool the red card.”
The Sun newspaper observed that the Argentina players are striving to maintain their focus on the game. “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 was quoted as saying.
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