Argentina & England attempt to forget their historic rivalry ahead of semi-final

Coaches and captains are calling for calm, but in the stands and the locker rooms, history is never far away.

Every time these two teams meet, it brings back memories of a long-running saga that began in 1966. At Wembley, in the quarter-finals, German referee Rudolf Kreitlein sent off Argentine captain Antonio Rattin after thirty-five minutes of a rough match. With no cards - since they didn’t exist at the time - the sending off turned into a diplomatic incident: the language barrier prevented any dialogue, Rattin refused to leave, and only left the pitch under police escort, but not before provocatively sitting on the red carpet reserved for Queen Elizabeth II. 

England won 1-0 and went on to claim their only World Cup title, but coach Alf Ramsey would later call the Argentinians "animals" and banned his players from swapping shirts.

Twenty years later, at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, the match took on a whole new meaning. Four years after the Falklands War, the 1986 quarter-final became the stage for the most talked-about brace in football history.

In just four minutes, Diego Maradona first beat Peter Shilton with his left hand - a move the referee failed to spot, the famous "Hand of God" - before scoring the "Goal of the Century" after a dazzling run past five English defenders. Maradona would even call this brace a "symbolic revenge against the English". Argentina won 2-1 and would be crowned world champions a few days later.

In 1998, in Saint-Etienne, the script was partly reversed. Michael Owen, just eighteen, scored a memorable goal in the round of 16, but Argentina equalised before halftime and took advantage of a kick from David Beckham on Diego Simeone to finish the match with a numerical advantage.

The game ended 2-2, with England eliminated on penalties. Beckham, cast as the scapegoat, endured months of threats and boos back home. In 2002, in Sapporo, he got his revenge by converting a decisive penalty that gave England a 1-0 win in the group stage, contributing to the shock early exit of an Argentina side widely tipped as favourites under Marcelo Bielsa.

Scaloni, Tuchel and Kane want to keep the focus on football

As this new chapter approaches, both sides are echoing similar messages. Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni set the tone on Saturday after Argentina qualified for a semi-final against England: "It's just a football match, nothing more, period."

He emphasised in his pre-match press conference the need not to exploit the past: "I can't mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened. It was a very sad time. Mixing things up would be madness in the times we live in. There are things happening elsewhere in the world and we criticise the fact that there is war. And I'm going to say this is more than just a football match? That seems completely crazy to me. We pay tribute to those people. We must not confuse things."

England coach Thomas Tuchel struck a similar note, while acknowledging the symbolic weight of the fixture: "I think the players know exactly what this match represents. If a fixture like this has produced so many iconic moments, it's hard to say it's just another football match." He insists, however, that his staff are working hard to shield his players from this historical pressure and keep them focused on the game itself.

Captain Harry Kane was on the same page: speaking to ITV, he admitted that managing the emotion around the match is "yes and no" a challenge, explaining that history is part of the media backdrop but, from the players' perspective, it's above all a "clash with a great team, smart and tactical".

This message of calm, however, contrasts with what's happening in the stands. The unofficial anthem of Argentina fans for this World Cup, "La cuarta estrella", uses the melody of "Muchachos" popularised in Qatar in 2022, with lyrics that explicitly reference the Falklands and Maradona's memory. The chant "El que no salta es un inglés" (whoever doesn't jump is an Englishman), already heard in Argentine league stadiums, also rang out after Argentina's 3-1 win over Switzerland in the quarter-finals, this time sung by the players themselves in front of their fans.

The delicate position of Argentinians playing in England

This atmosphere puts the Albiceleste players based in England in a unique situation. Six members of Scaloni's squad currently play in the Premier League: Emiliano Martinez, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Marcos Senesi.

Mac Allister's case illustrates this dual identity. His mother, Silvina Riela, who lived in England for a while during her son's years at Brighton before his move to Liverpool in 2023, said she completely changed her view of the country where she expected, in her words, to find "cold people" but instead was "welcomed in the best possible way". 

My granddaughter was born in England, so when everyone sings 'Whoever doesn't jump is an Englishman', I stay seated with her," she said.

Mac Allister himself has made a point of separating the historic rivalry from individuals, saying he understands "all the rivalry there is because of what happened and the history", while reminding that it's "not the fault of their people or ours, but of those higher up".

Valentina Cervantes, partner of Enzo Fernandez, who plays for Chelsea, gave a similar account when talking about her son Benjamín, born in England: "He was born there. We don't let him jump when they sing 'Whoever doesn't jump is an Englishman.' Olivia doesn't either. It's a country that has given us a lot."

But proof that this rivalry is far from over, especially on the Argentine side: the comments from both players' families sparked outrage among fans on social media, reminding them that Argentina is the country that gave them everything, even if England now largely funds their daily lives. Still, Mac Allister couldn't resist a little jab at the Three Lions, accusing them of "not keeping up with the pace they can have in the Premier League". For that reason or another, both will be eager to win on Wednesday.