The country is football mad and at World Cup time every Argentine, no matter where they are in the world, stops to watch.
“The first thing you do when you start to walk is kick a ball. I think it's just cultural, it's the way we spend our time when we're kids,” said Argentine Australian Nicolas Charritton.
“When you play, when you comment, when you watch, it's all about passion and screaming,” his compatriot Lucas Ocampo said.
Argentina has twice lifted football’s most precious prize.
First as host in 1978, when an extra-time victory over the Netherlands in the final sparked wild celebration in Buenos Aires.
Then in 1986 when the national team was led by arguably the world’s greatest ever player Diego Maradona, the albiceleste triumphed again.
It was at Mexico ’86 that Maradona produced one of the tournament’s most iconic moment.
Picking the ball up inside his own half, the diminutive number 10 took on all in front of him to score a goal widely considered as the World Cup’s finest – against a team Argentina was at war with in 1982.
“I thought is he going to score the goal?” recalled Ocampo.
“Please score the goal! And when he scored the goal I was shouting and screaming. I will never take that memory of my head.”
In Brazil, Argentina will be hoping Maradona’s heir apparent and four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi can emulate his predecessor.
“I think that he can win the World Cup, because that's the player that you have different from all the other ones, when it's nil all and it's 89 minutes he is the one that can take the ball and score the goal,” said Ocampo.
Argentina should progress from a group that includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria and Iran.
Ultimately the country’s fanatical fans want to meet their arch rival in the final.
“I think the best gift that Argentina can give us this year will be beat Brazil in Brazil, and I think we can do it,” said Charritton.
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