Lessons from Argentina’s World Cup Run

I have visited five countries across Asia and Europe over the last few weeks. The hatred the Argentine national soccer team seems to have awakened in people around the world—due to their behavior at this World Cup—is something Argentina’s soccer authorities must take seriously. Now that they have lost to Spain, and given that Lionel Messi, the best player on the planet, is 39 and on the verge of retirement, they will have to reconstruct much of their team.

To begin with, in various respects, they were a sensational side during the recent tournament. Their relentless fighting spirit led them to defeat opponents who played better, who had the edge for much of the game, and who, based on their overall performance, sometimes deserved to win. Even with a little help from their friends—including some questionable refereeing decisions (particularly in the matches against Egypt and England), FIFA, and stadiums where Argentine fans vastly outnumbered the opposition—they were good enough, and Lionel Messi was brilliant enough, to reach the final thanks to several impressive late comebacks.

In the final, however, their pride, determination, and physical strength were not enough to overcome their tactical and technical shortcomings. Nor was Messi—who Spain neutralized very effectively—able to inspire his teammates as he had in other matches, lifting them to a world-class level they didn’t know they possessed, despite the extraordinary soccer Argentina played during the last World Cup, played in Qatar, which they won (until Sunday, July 19, they were the reigning champions.) Spain was a worthy winner because they played much better soccer, trapping Argentina in a web that limited their movement and passing lines. Spain focused entirely on playing championship-level soccer, while their South American rivals were reduced to chasing the ball and repeatedly interrupting the match with severe fouls to disrupt the European team’s smooth machine.

The broader issue—and what appears to make Argentina so widely disliked around the world—is that the team has learned neither how to win nor how to lose with grace in international competitions. After the final whistle, three of their players physically assaulted Spanish players: Nahuel Molina, Leandro Paredes, and Thiago Almada punched, kicked, and violently threw opponents to the ground. Others, including Nicolás Otamendi, attempted to provoke fights. Meanwhile, coach Lionel Scaloni, rather than restraining his own players, went after a Spanish player who had just been punched, and his assistant, Roberto Fabián Ayala, threw a punch at another opponent.

To make matters worse, the entire team turned their backs on the Spanish champions, who had played with elegance and dignity and had done nothing to merit such contempt, during the trophy presentation. Sadly, this included Lionel Messi, who is usually not that kind of person, but likely felt compelled to join his teammates to avoid being accused—as he so often was before winning the World Cup four years ago—of lacking patriotism or loyalty to his country.

These scenes were a dark reminder of how the team celebrated their victory at the previous World Cup. Several players taunted and insulted the defeated French team at the end of the final that they won, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez also making obscene gestures aimed at virtually the entire world. They repeated this exact behavior against England in this tournament after coming from behind to win 2–1.

The players’ toxic attitudes over the years have clearly spilled over into the fan base (or perhaps vice versa). In one of many incidents in Spain following the final, an individual was beaten up by Argentine fans and would have been lynched had other locals not intervened to rescue him.

Let us hope FIFA takes draconian measures against the offending players—particularly Paredes, who deserves a lengthy, perhaps a permanent, ban from the sport. More importantly, let us hope that reasonable people in Argentina step back and engage in deep introspection. Argentina was once one of the wealthiest and most cultivated nations in the world, producing extraordinary achievements across economics, the arts, and sports. Decisions must be made to transform a mentality that has brought the country global contempt and to restore, across all domains, particularly those that project the country’s image beyond its borders. This spirit once made Argentina a great nation.

Having many close Argentine friends and being a frequent visitor to the country, I know that these players and violent supporters do not represent the entire nation. Despite its decline after decades of failed populist policies, Argentina still possesses sound moral and cultural reserves connecting it to its glorious past—reserves that can help rebuild the damaged image its soccer team currently projects to the world.