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Few nations have influenced football across the world quite like Argentina. The sport is hugely popular across the South American country: a way of life for so many; for some, much more than that.
Virtually every top club across Europe has been impacted in a big way by players from Argentina. In Italy and Spain, their influence has been enormous.
And when it comes to the national team, it is hard to find too many others supported with as much passion and intensity as Argentina.
Three-time World Cup winners and Copa America champions on 15 occasions, Argentina have been blessed with some of the greatest players in the history of football. Here, a look at some of the very best…
32. Alfredo Di Stefano
If this were a list of the greatest Argentine players of all time, Alfredo Di Stefano would be very near the top. But the Real Madrid legend only represented Argentina on a handful of occasions.
Di Stefano scored six goals in his six appearances for Argentina and won the South American Championship in 1947. He was denied the chance to play at the 1950 World Cup as Argentina withdrew in qualifying due to player strikes and a dispute with the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF). Later, he was barred after turning out for a Colombia XI and went on to play for Spain, although never at a World Cup.
31. Sergio Goycochea
Sergio Goycochea came on to replace the injured Nery Pumpido against the Soviet Union at the 1990 World Cup and quickly became a hero.
Goycochea kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Brazil in the last 16 and saved penalties against Yugoslavia and Italy as Argentina qualified for a second successive final. He stayed in the team after that and won the Copa America in 1991 and 1993.
30. Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain is best remembered by many for missing chances in big finals as Argentina suffered a series of disappointments in the 2010s.
However, Higuain is also one of the best strikers in the nation’s history. El Pipita scored 31 goals in 75 games for Argentina and played for some of the world’s biggest clubs. He retired from international football in 2018.
29. Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister came into the Argentina team after their surprise defeat to Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup and helped change the dynamic as Lionel Scaloni’s side went on to claim the trophy in Qatar.
Mac Allister scored against Poland in Argentina’s final group game and assisted Angel Di Maria’s strike against France in the final as the South Americans won on penalties.
28. Pablo Aimar
A gifted playmaker for Argentina, Pablo Aimar was one of a number of footballers compared to Diego Maradona and he was also idolised by a young Lionel Messi.
AImar won the FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina in 1997, but was less successful with the senior side. He appeared in two World Cups and two Copas America, reaching the final of the latter in 2007. In total, the midfielder made 52 appearances for the Albiceleste in a career interrupted by injuries.
27. Oreste Corbatta
A brilliant winger for Racing Club in the 1950s, Oreste Corbatta made 43 appearances for Argentina and scored 18 goals.
Instrumental in South American Championship wins in 1957 and 1959, Corbatta also scored three goals in as many games at the 1958 World Cup. He played with Argentina until 1962, but fell into decline due to alcoholism in his later years.
26. Roberto Ayala
One of Argentina’s greatest defenders, Roberto Ayala won 116 caps in a 13-year international career between 1994 and 2007.
Captain for over half of those appearances, Ayala played in the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, but suffered an injury which kept him out at the last minute in 2002. He retired from international duty after the Copa America final loss to Brazil in 2007.
25. Hernan Crespo
Hernan Crespo scored 35 goals in 64 appearances for Argentina between 1995 and 2007 and is considered one of the nation’s greatest strikers.
A Copa America runner-up in 2007, Crespo played in a less successful era for the Albiceleste and was often left out as Gabriel Batistuta was preferred to lead the line. He played in three World Cups before retiring from international football in 2007.
24. Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo played only 29 times for Argentina between 1992 and 1999, but is considered one of the best midfielders in the nation’s history.
After refusing a call-up ahead of the 1990 World Cup in favour of concentrating on his studies, Redondo was ever-present at the 1994 tournament. He did not play in 1998, claiming coach Daniel Passarella had demanded he cut his hair, but won the Copa America in 1993 and was named in an all-time Argentine XI by AFA in 2015.
23. Juan Roman Riquelme
An-old school number 10, Juan Roman Riquelme is one of the best players Argentina have produced, but his international career was a story of what might have been.
Riquelme was Argentina’s focal point in the 2006 World Cup and he set up their goal against Germany in the semi-finals, but they were knocked out on penalties after he had been substituted. He was a runner-up in the Copa America the following year, and although he won Olympic gold as an overage player in 2008, he did not play for his country beyond that year after refusing a call-up from Diego Maradona.
22. Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti is one Argentina’s most-capped players, having appeared in 142 matches for the Albiceleste between 1994 and 2011.
A tireless right-back, wing-back or midfielder, Zanetti played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, but was surprisingly left out of the squads for 2006 and 2010. He also played over 850 games for Inter in a long career spent almost entirely in Italy.
21. Rene Houseman
Once described by legendary Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti as a mix between Diego Maradona and Garrincha, Rene Houseman was a talented winger who played 55 games for the Albiceleste in the 1970s and scored 13 goals.
Houseman scored three goals in the 1974 World Cup and added another four years later as part of the Argentina team which won the trophy in 1978.
20. Jose Luis Brown
Jose Luis Brown came into the 1986 World Cup without a club and only started because Daniel Passarella was laid low with a stomach problem, but the defender made himself a legend in Mexico.
Brown scored his only international goal in the final against West Germany as Argentina won 3-2. Later in the game, he dislocated his shoulder but insisted he had to stay on, making a hole in his shirt to support his arm.
19. Guillermo Stabile
Top scorer at the first ever World Cup, Guillermo Stabile led Argentina to the final in 1930 and had a huge impact in just four games for his national team.
Given his chance after first-choice striker Roberto Cherro suffered an anxiety attack, Stabile scored a hat-trick against Mexico. He then netted twice versus Chile, hit two more in a 6-1 win over the United States and was on target again in the final as Argentina lost 4-2 to Uruguay. He never played for his country again, but scored eight goals in just four appearances, averaging two per game. He later coached Argentina for almost two decades.
18. Emiliano Martinez
The goalkeeper for the big moments, Emiliano Martinez was key to Argentina’s Copa America triumph in 2021 and again in their World Cup win the following year.
Martinez saved three penalties as Argentina won a penalty shootout in the Copa semi-finals against Colombia in 2021 and kept a clean sheet in the final against Brazil. And in Qatar, he saved two penalties against the Netherlands in the last eight, before denying France’s Randal Kolo Muani with a huge intervention in extra time. In the shootout, he then saved another penalty from Kingsley Coman as Argentina went on to win the trophy.
17. Omar Sivori
Omar Sivori is one of the most talented players in Argentina’s history – but he did not play for the Albiceleste for very long.
After leading a brilliant Argentina team to the South American Championship in 1957, Sivori moved to Juventus. And in those days, South American sides did not field players based in Europe. His transfer also hurt River Plate, with the Buenos Aires giants unable to win the league for 18 years after he left, although the money from his transfer did allow the club to finish their stadium. Sivori went on to play for Italy, but later returned to Argentina as coach.
16. Diego Simeone
Diego Simeone was the first player to win over 100 caps for Argentina in a 14-year international career between 1988 and 2002.
A combative, all-action and fiercely competitive midfielder, Simeone played in three World Cups for the Albiceleste and was part of two Copa America-winning teams in 1991 and 1993.
15. Osvaldo Ardiles
An elegant midfielder who played for Argentina between 1975 and 1982, Osvaldo Ardiles also became a cult hero in England after moving to Tottenham in 1978.
Ardiles was one of Argentina’s best players in their 1978 World Cup win and went on to play over 50 times for his national team, scoring eight goals.
14. Jorge Valdano
Jorge Valdano spent most of his playing career in Spain and the striker’s international appearances were therefore limited after leaving Newell’s in 1975.
But he was key in Argentina’s World Cup win in 1986, scoring four goals in the tournament including one in the final against West Germany as he started a move deep in his own half and finished it off after running the length of the pitch.
13. Sergio Aguero
When Argentina won the World Cup in 2022, Sergio Aguero went onto the pitch and celebrated with the rest of the players as if he had been part of the team.
He was unlucky not to be. Aguero had been involved with Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria et al from the early days and was part of the squad which won the Copa America in 2021. Argentina’s third-highest scorer with 41 goals, he was forced to retire due to a heart problem later that year.
12. Daniel Bertoni
A three-time winner of the Copa Libertadores with Independiente, Daniel Bertoni was a talented winger who later played successfully in Italy with Fiorentina, Napoli and Udinese.
Bertoni appeared 31 times for Argentina between 1974 and 1982, scoring 12 goals, and is best remembered for netting the third as the Albiceleste beat the Netherlands 3-1 to win the 1978 World Cup on home soil.
11. Claudio Caniggia
Claudio Caniggia is one of those players who seemed to perform better at international level than in club football.
The pacy forward with the long blonde hair was instrumental in Argentina’s run to the 1990 World Cup final, linking up effectively with Diego Maradona and scoring vital goals against Brazil and Italy. He also won the Copa America in 1991 and added two more goals at the 1994 World Cup. Caniggia was called up again in 2002, although he did not play.
10. Javier Mascherano
Javier Mascherano made his Argentina debut before he had even featured in the first team for River Plate.
A wholehearted defensive midfielder and leader who could also operate in defence, Mascherano played 147 times for Argentina in a 15-year international career and was the nation’s most-capped player until he was overtaken by Lionel Messi. Unfortunate to lose in five finals for Argentina, he did win two gold medals with the Under-23 side in 2004 and 2008.
9. Angel Di Maria
Criticised in his homeland for much of his Argentina career, Angel Di Maria will now be remembered for the decisive goals in big finals for the Albiceleste.
Di Maria scored a fine winner for Argentina against Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final, netted in the 3-0 victory over Italy in the Finalissima the following year and then opened the scoring in the 2022 World Cup final versus France. Back in 2008, it was also his goal which gave Argentina the gold medal in a 1-0 win over Nigeria at the Beijing Olympics.
8. Ubaldo Fillol
Widely considered to be Argentina’s greatest goalkeeper of all time, Ubaldo Fillol played in three World Cups for the Albiceleste and was a champion in 1978.
After making his Argentina debut at the 1974 World Cup, Fillol was named best goalkeeper in 1978 en route to the trophy, when he saved a crucial penalty in a second round clash with Poland. Played in the qualifiers ahead of Mexico 1986, but was not called up for the tournament in the end.
7. Jorge Burruchaga
Not many players in the history of football can say they have scored the winning goal in a World Cup final. Jorge Burruchaga can.
The attacking midfielder hit the winner for Argentina against West Germany in the 1986 final and was important again as Carlos Bilardo’s side finished as runners-up in 1990. Burruchaga won 59 caps and scored 13 goals in total.
6. Oscar Ruggeri
Oscar Ruggeri won 97 caps for Argentina in an 11-year international career and took part in three World Cups with the Albiceleste.
A rugged and fiercely competitive centre-back, Ruggeri was part of the Argentina team which won the World Cup in 1986 and again as Carlos Bilardo’s side reached the semi-finals four years later. He also won the Copa America in 1991 and 1993.
5. Gabriel Batistuta
With 56 goals in 78 appearances, Gabriel Batistuta was Argentina’s top scorer until he was overtaken by Lionel Messi in 2016.
Batistuta won the Copa America twice with Argentina, finishing as top scorer in the 1991 edition and netting both in a 2-1 victory against Mexico in the 1993 final. Considered one of the greatest strikers in history, Batigol also played in three World Cups for Argentina.
4. Daniel Passarella
Daniel Passarella was the first Argentine to lift the World Cup trophy and he is also the only Argentine to have won it twice.
One of greatest central defenders of all time, Passarella captained Argentina’s team to glory in 1978. He was replaced by Diego Maradona as skipper in 1983, but set up a crucial goal which helped the Albiceleste qualify for the 1986 World Cup. Laid low by a stomach problem, he did not play a single minute in Mexico but finished with a winners’ medal. Won 70 caps overall and scored 22 goals.
3. Mario Kempes
Mario Kempes played in three World Cups for Argentina, but will be best remembered for his performances as the Albiceleste won the trophy in 1978.
Kempes netted six times in the tournament – including two in the final against the Netherlands – and finished as the tournament’s top scorer. In total, he played 43 times for Argentina and scored 20 goals.
2. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona was the world’s best player for much of the 1980s and led Argentina to their second World Cup triumph at Mexico in 1986.
His solo goal against England is the greatest in the tournament’s history and he scored five overall en route to the title, while also setting up Jorge Burruchaga for the winner against West Germany in the final. Led Argentina to another final in 1990.
1. Lionel Messi
The best ever. After winning a gold medal with Argentina’s Under-23 team in 2008, Lionel Messi had to wait a long time for major trophies to arrive with the senior side. But they eventually did.
Messi led the Albiceleste to the Copa America title in 2021 and the World Cup in Qatar a year later, finishing as the best player in both tournaments. Previously, he had lost in four finals, but kept going and has scored over 100 goals for his national team.
