Argentina National Football Team History and Their Glorious Achievement-
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| Nickname(s) | La Albiceleste (The White and Sky blue) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (Argentine Football Association) | ||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||
| Head coach | Sergio Batista | ||
| Captain | Javier Mascherano | ||
| Most caps | Javier Zanetti (138) | ||
| Top scorer | Gabriel Batistuta (56) | ||
| Home stadium | El Monumental | ||
| FIFA code | ARG | ||
| FIFA ranking | 5 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 1 (March 2007, October 2007 – June 2008) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 24 (August 1996) | ||
| Elo ranking | 5 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 1 (most recently in July 2007, 34 times in total) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 28 (June 1990) | ||
| First international | |||
Unofficial:  Uruguay 2–3  Argentina(Montevideo, Uruguay; 16 May 1901 Official: Uruguay 0–6 Argentina(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 July 1902) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Argentina 12–0 Ecuador  (Montevideo, Uruguay; 22 January 1942) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Czechoslovakia 6–1 Argentina (Helsingborg, Sweden; 15 June 1958) Uruguay 5–0 Argentina (Guayaquil, Ecuador; 16 December 1959)  Argentina 0–5 Colombia  (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5 September 1993)  Bolivia 6–1 Argentina (La Paz, Bolivia; 1 April 2009) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 15 (First in 1930) | ||
| Best result | Winners, 1978 and 1986 | ||
| Copa América | |||
| Appearances | 38 (First in 1916) | ||
| Best result | Winners, 1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993 | ||
| Confederations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 3 (First in 1992) | ||
| Best result | Winners, 1992 | ||
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Men's football | ||
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 1928 Amsterdam | Team |
| Silver | 1996 Atlanta | Team |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Team |
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | Team |
The Argentina national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Argentina) represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Sergio Batista. Argentina shares with Uruguay the record of most international titles won by a national team (with 19). The team is currently fifth in the FIFA World Rankings.
Argentina has twice won the FIFA World Cup, in 1978 and 1986. Along Brazil and Spain, they are the only teams that have won the competition outside their continental zone. Argentina has also won the Copa América (top continental competition) 14 times, a record shared with Uruguay, the Confederations Cup in 1992 and the Olympic tournament in 2004 and 2008.
Argentina and France are the only two national teams that have won the three most important men's titles recognized by FIFA: the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, and the Olympic tournament. They have both also won their respective continental championship (Copa América for Argentina, and UEFA European Football Championship for France).
FIFA Confederations Cup-
| FIFA Confederations Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
 1992 | Champions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1995 | Second Place | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
| 1997 to 2003 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
 2005 | Second Place | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10 | |
 2009 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Total | 1 Title | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 14 | |
History-
La Selección (national team), also known as the Albicelestes (Light blue and whites), has appeared in four World Cup finals, including the first final in 1930, which they lost 4–2 to Uruguay. Argentina won in their next final in 1978, beating the Netherlands 3–1. Argentina, led by Diego Maradona won again in 1986, a 3–2 victory over West Germany. Their most recent World Cup final was in 1990, which they lost 1–0 to Germany by a much disputed penalty. Argentina's World Cup winning managers are César Luis Menotti in 1978, and Carlos Bilardo in 1986.
Argentina has been very successful in the Copa América, winning it fourteen times and also winning the 'extra' South American Championships in 1941, 1945 and 1946. The team also won the FIFA Confederations Cup and the Kirin Cup, both in 1992, and an Argentine team (with only three players of over 23 years of age included in the squad) won the Olympics football tournaments in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
Argentina also won six of the fourteen football competitions at the Pan American Games, winning in 1951, 1955, 1959, 1971, 1995 and 2003.
In March 2007, Argentina reached the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time.
Batista is our new National Team coach-
Batista has been confirmed by the pseudo AFA commission composed by men chosen by Grondona (?!).
The coaching staff has been the major reason of Argentina’s failures over the past years. As much as I admire Senor José Pekerman, he was not able to keep his players focused on the possession 95 minutes, in 2006. After that, Alfio Basile and Diego Maradona destroyed all the fantastic Pekerman/Tocalli work in the most disgusting manner during 4 endless years, repeating the same tactical mistakes all the time.
Today, AFA have chosen Sergio Batista who signed a contract that would make him NT coach until 2014. Has the nightmare come to an end? Once more, our National Team will be directed by an unexperienced coach, that’s for sure.
Do you think Batista will be able to organize an efficient defensive system which is the main tactical cause of our repeated defeats? Will he be able to make his 11 players defend like coordinated tigers, as it is required in modern futbol?
Can Batista really do what he says in the press, with the Grondona family on his back? Was he chosen to be a muppet like Basile and Maradona before him? Or a diplomatic coach able to start the players he wants to?
Already Batista prove his experience by playing previous game we are hopeful because he can do anything by his coaching style.
source-world cup blog
Copa América 2007:
Argentina won all three games in the group stage, beating United States, Colombia and Paraguay. After convincing victories over Peru and Mexico in the quarter final and semi final respectively, they were favorites to beat Brazil in the final, but were defeated 0–3.
Competitive record-
FIFA World Cup:
| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
 1934 | First Round | 9th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
 1938 | Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
 1950 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
 1954 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
 1958 | Group Stage | 13th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | |
 1962 | Group Stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
 1966 | Quarter-Final | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
 1970 | Did Not Qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||
| 1974 | Second Group Stage | 8th | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| 1978 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
 1982 | Second Group Stage | 11th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1986 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | |
 1990 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
 1994 | Round of 16 | 10th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1998 | Quarter-Final | 6th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 23 | 13 | |
  2002 | Group Stage | 18th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 42 | 15 | |
| 2006 | Quarter-Final | 6th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 17 | |
| 2010 | Quarter-Final | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 20 | |
 2014 | To Be Determined | ||||||||||||||
 2018 | |||||||||||||||
 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 2 Titles | 15/19 | 70 | 37 | 13 | 20 | 123 | 80 | 102 | 59 | 24 | 19 | 161 | 96 | |
- *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Pan American Games record-
- 1951 – Champions
- 1955 – Champions
- 1959 – Champions
- 1963 – Second place
- 1967 – Round 1
- 1971 – Champions
- 1975 – Third place
- 1979 – Third place
- 1983 – Round 1
- 1987 – Third place
- 1991 – Did not enter
- 1995 – Champions
- 1999 – Did not enter
- 2003 – Champions
- 2007 – Round 1
Olympics record-
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Honours-
Senior team:
- FIFA World Cup
- Winners (2): 1978, 1986
- Copa America
- Winner (14): 1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946 (extra edition), 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993.
- FIFA Confederations Cup
- Winners (1): 1992
- Artemio Franchi Trophy
- Winners (1): 1993
- Nations' Cup
- Winners (1): 1964
- Panamerican Championship:
- Winners (1): 1960
Friendly titles-
- Copa Kirin:
- Winners (1): 1992
- Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo 1910:
- Winners (1): 1910
- Copa Roca:
- Winners (4): 1923, 1939, 1940, 1971
- Copa Lipton:
- Winners (18): 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1928, 1937, 1942, 1945, 1957, 1962, 1968, 1976, 1992
- Copa Newton:
- Winners (17): 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1916, 1918, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1937, 1942, 1945, 1957, 1973, 1975, 1976
According to José Mourinho, Higuain is injured for the rest of the season which means no Copa for him!
So who do we have as a world class #9?
Milito has been out of form and Crespo belongs to the past.
In addition, our NT coaches never care about Lisandro Lopez.
Because of Maradona, we’ve lost Lucas Barrios who is a great striker (poor management is always punished and some of our worries before WC are now justified!).
The great Roberto Ayala, one of our heroes, has ended his career at 37.
When I think about Ayala, I have so many great memories of him… jumping higher than anyone else, beating the best forwards (the only one to match Drogba, again and again), leading the 2006 Argentina squad with convinction and pride,…
I suppose we’ll never forget him for several reasons.
He gave everything in the most disgusting sport and now, he “has finished with it”.
He gave everything in the most disgusting sport and now, he “has finished with it”.
ARGENTINA 4-1 SPAIN-
The Monumental was like in paradise yesterday night. The passes, the movements, Messi’s outstanding dribblings, etc. It was pure magic, whatever the score is.
Of course, our defensive system is new and not accurate yet. It was clear at the beginning of each period that Batista was trying to make them defend as a unit and he must continue. It is very important. Leo and Carlito must be totally involved in the midfield defence, and I suppose they are learning to do so with Argentina.
I guess that like many of you amigos, we all realize a bit more the huge WC 2010 waste and that even a correct coach would have been enough. It confirms what we’ve been repeating for years. At least, with this kind of result/demonstration, people abroad Argentina can understand all this.
I’m so happy for Zanetti & Cambiasso (who was tactically tremendous!). Our players are magnificent, like they’ve always been. Gracias Argentina!
ARGENTINA 1-0 BRAZIL-
Argentina finally wins against Brazil! What a relief isn’t it? In a friendly, even if the content is more important than the result, this one matters a lot to all of us!
Despite the positive result, we all noticed some problems. The way we defend, for example, not all the time collective. The team needs games to get used to the 4-3-3 and defend up on the field. Learn to play like Barca requires time, and I hope we have the appropriate tactical staff to teach our players. We also need a true left fullback who can offer solutions on his side. We need to use the flanks too, in general. Di Maria must be more focused on the collective aspect of his game.
But lets stay optimistic. The boys were tired for sure, which explains their lack of mobility. Batista starts the right players (ex:Pastore, Banega). How long have we seen biased choices from the past NT coaches in the past? And now, our boys go back home with confidence (Messi!).
Lets now hope Batista finds the time to train the 4-3-3 to our players. How to press as a unit and defend high, move and use the flanks, protect our back on counter attacks, etc. Because Jefecito won’t save us all the time.
In my opinion, Mascherano was the man of the match. He did a terrific job in defence. Probably our most important argentino. Did you see him shouting on his teamates because they weren’t coming back in defence? Loved that.
I liked D’Alessandro’s reaction when Messi scored… On the replay, if I’m correct, he was behind Messi, walking and watching him running at a supersonic speed, saying like “come on Leo, come on Leo… gol!” with his arms up.
Upcoming Fixtures:
- Argentina vs
Portugal – Geneva, Switzerland – February 9, 2011 – Friendly. - United States vs Argentina – Seattle, United States – March 26, 2011 – Friendly.
Costa Rica vs Argentina – San José, Costa Rica – March 29, 2011 – Friendly.
Players-
Current squad:
Caps and goals as of November 17, 2010, subsequent to the friendly match against Brazil.
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Most capped players-
As of November 18, 2010, the ten players with the most caps for Argentina are:
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Javier Zanetti | 1994–present | 138 | 5 |
| 2. | Roberto Ayala | 1994–2007 | 115 | 7 |
| 3. | Diego Simeone | 1988–2002 | 106 | 11 |
| 4. | Oscar Ruggeri | 1983–1994 | 97 | 7 |
| 5. | Diego Maradona | 1977–1994 | 91 | 34 |
| 6. | Ariel Ortega | 1993–present | 87 | 17 |
| 7. | Gabriel Batistuta | 1991–2002 | 78 | 56 |
| 8. | Juan Pablo Sorín | 1995–2006 | 76 | 12 |
| 9. | Américo Gallego | 1975–1982 | 73 | 3 |
| 10. | Juan Sebastián Verón | 1996–present | 73 | 9 |
Top goalscorers-
As of September 16, 2009, the ten players with the most goals for Argentina are:
| # | Name | Career | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Gabriel Batistuta | 1991–2002 | 56 | 78 |
| 2. | Hernán Crespo | 1995–2007 | 35 | 63 |
| 3. | Diego Maradona | 1977–1994 | 34 | 91 |
| 4. | Luis Artime | 1961–1967 | 24 | 25 |
| 5. | Leopoldo Luque | 1975–1981 | 22 | 45 |
| 6. | Daniel Passarella | 1976–1986 | 22 | 70 |
| 7. | José Sanfilippo | 1956–1962 | 21 | 29 |
| 8. | Herminio Masantonio | 1935–1942 | 21 | 19 |
| 9. | Mario Kempes | 1973–1982 | 20 | 43 |
| 10. | Norberto Méndez | 1945–1956 | 19 | 31 |
| 11. | José Manuel Moreno | 1936–1950 | 19 | 34 |
| 12. | René Pontoni | 1942–1947 | 19 | 19 |
From Wikipedia-
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