Argentines do not know whether Lionel Messi and company will once again be crowned world champions against Spain on Sunday, but a string of dramatic comebacks and extra-time victories at the 2026 World Cup in North America has fuelled confidence that the Albiceleste will fight until the very end.
“I think this team plays its best football when it is under pressure,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on Wednesday after his side's remarkable 2-1 victory over England, secured by goals in the 85th and 90+2 minutes, after trailing since the 55th minute following Anthony Gordon's opener.
Argentina “knows how to suffer,” players, coaching staff and supporters alike have repeated for weeks.
The semi-final in Atlanta was the fourth consecutive knockout match at this World Cup in which Argentina overturned adversity with precious little time remaining.
In the Round of 32, they needed two extra-time goals to edge surprise package Cape Verde 3-2. In the Round of 16, they trailed Egypt 2-0 after 79 minutes before scoring three times to complete a stunning turnaround. In the quarter-finals, they broke a deadlock against Switzerland with two goals in the second period of extra time to win 3-1 and avoid a penalty shootout.
“It's a group that never gives up, no matter the obstacles,” Matías Cirelli, a 44-year-old lawyer from Buenos Aires, said on Thursday, his voice still hoarse after Wednesday night's celebrations.
For the lifelong supporter, the players' resilience is closely linked to the “many hardships” Argentina has endured throughout its history.
“Argentines never consider a battle lost, even when everything seems stacked against us,” he said.
Competitive DNA
One of the keys to the national team's remarkable success has been the leadership of Scaloni and his coaching staff. Since taking charge in August 2018, following Argentina's disappointing World Cup campaign in Russia, he has guided the team to four major titles.
After years of losing finals and a succession of coaches whose tenures ended prematurely, Scaloni succeeded in building a squad with a formidable winning mentality around Messi.
“It's the product of a very long-term process,” said Pablo Nigro, president of the Asociación de Psicología en el Deporte Argentina (Argentine Sports Psychology Association).
“This team sees pressure as an opportunity to improve and pursue excellence. It transforms pressure into something positive.”
Nigro believes the players' mentality is partly innate but also reflects “the extremely high standards demanded by both Argentine football and Argentine society.”
“We live in a country obsessed with success, where from a very young age you're expected to win,” he said, adding that Argentine athletes possess “a very strong competitive instinct that constantly drives them to pursue achievement.”
'No easing off'
The way young players are developed in Argentina also shapes the mentality of those who eventually reach the professional game, according to Federico Czesli, an anthropologist at Universidad de San Martín who specialises in the development of professional footballers.
Czesli, who is also involved with the anti-football violence NGO Salvemos al Fútbol ('Let's Save Football'), said youth development is built around values such as sacrifice and humility, with many youngsters coming from modest backgrounds.
From an early age, players come to see hard work as non-negotiable, both to repay their families for their sacrifices and to justify the faith shown in them by their coaches.
“Humility gives players the most important tool they have to overcome adversity and keep moving forward, and that is directly linked to resilience,” Czesli said.
Another crucial factor is the influence of Argentina's supporters, who impose what he described as “an unwritten rule against easing off.”
“Argentine fans demand not so much beautiful football as total commitment, and proof that you've left everything on the pitch. As long as you've done that, you can walk away with your head held high,” the researcher said.
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by Nicolás Biederman, AFP
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