A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It's an easy assumption that fans of Spain's national soccer team will be rooting against Argentina this weekend when the two teams face off in the World Cup final, but there are a lot more people around the world hoping Argentina loses. Adam Elder is a sports and culture writer. Adam, so what is it about the way Argentina plays that's historically been unpopular?
ADAM ELDER: Oh, boy. There's so much going on here. Well, Argentina's won three World Cups, but they've always had a style that's very polarizing. You know, they can play with flare. And, of course, they have Lionel Messi. But they can also play with brutality, let's say - kicking you, climbing on you, chopping you down, working the ref. This stuff is common throughout Latin America. In fact, I wrote about it in a book of mine, but the thing is, no one does this stuff better than Argentina. They can essentially play at the highest levels or the lowest, and often you'll see them doing both.
Now, there's also been some well-documented racism by fans and players in songs and whatnot, particularly towards Black people, whether it's about the French national team made up largely of Black players or famous spectators, like the streamer IShowSpeed, at this year's World Cup.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. So there's been a lot of that, which hasn't helped Argentina lately, but it seemed like four years ago, things were different. It seemed like people wanted to see Lionel Messi win a World Cup. So what really has changed between then and now?
ELDER: You know, a lot's changed within this tournament. They came in as, you know, the defending champions, and it's been this great story. You know, Lionel Messi, age 39, leading the team, twilight of his career. He scored six goals, I believe, in the first three games, and their matches have resembled these quasi-religious events. You know, it's emotionally overwhelming. The passion, the noise. It's a great story. The problem is, it appears to many that FIFA, soccer's villainous governing body...
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
ELDER: ...Likes that storyline a lot as well, if you look at it from a certain angle. You know, it's almost as if things took a turn after group play after Argentina barely got past Cape Verde, the tournament's undisputed Cinderella team, because in their next three matches, a lot of fans watching would contend that Argentina benefited from some generous calls, some very generous use of VAR, the video assistant referee and also the non-use of it when perhaps it was needed.
So FIFA is, as I just said, you know, such this great villainous organization on their own, and you combine that with Argentina's occasional style of play and these incredible comebacks they've staged and, you know, perhaps generous refereeing, and this is where we are right now.
MARTÍNEZ: You know, there's been a decades-long feeling by many Latin Americans that Argentines believe themselves to be superior somehow. So that means they'll always root against them. But what do you think of the irony that, in this case, Latin Americans would rather root for Spain, the nation that colonized Latin America for hundreds of years?
ELDER: Yeah. I mean, that's just one layer of it. It's looking like a great matchup in so many ways. There's obviously some colonial implications. And, you know, if Argentina show up the way they've been playing throughout this tournament, which, as we talked about, has changed in the past five weeks or so, it's going to be a really interesting game. I'm looking forward to it. And to be clear, I think all this stuff makes sports much better. I love having a villain. Of course, I'm a writer.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
ELDER: But I personally love this stuff. I don't know about you.
MARTÍNEZ: Oh, the drama is - makes it even more fun. Adam Elder is a sports and culture writer. His latest piece in New York magazine is why Argentina has become the surprising villain of this World Cup. He's also the author of the book "New Kids In The World Cup." Adam, thanks.
ELDER: Thank you very much for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE BUDOS BAND'S "CHICAGO FALCON") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
