Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments

Over many years, Argentina's football has produced some of the best players. The national squad assembled some of these players and competed in the biggest football tournament ever.

Argentina has a long World Cup history, dating back to the very first competition. Few teams have had as much of an influence on the competition as the Albiceleste, with two winners' medals and two further appearances in the final.

Argentina has provided us with a lot of unforgettable moments over their 17 appearances in the event finals. The World Cup's history wouldn't have been the same without the Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments, even though not all of them stick memorable for the right reasons.

Ranking the top 10 Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments

Now without further ado, let's take a look back at the 10

Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments

.

The 1st Final

The 1930 World Cup final defeat by Argentina to Uruguay is unique on the

Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments

list in that it ended in loss but was considered a victory. However, it is noteworthy because a thrilling football match between the Rioplatense neighbors took place that, on another day, very well could have gone in favor of the guests.

The Celeste, who had won two Olympic titles, had reached the championship game by scoring 11 goals and allowing only one. They took an early lead thanks to a goal from Pablo Dorado, but Argentina quickly responded, and goals from Carlos Peucelle and Guillermo Stabile gave them a narrow lead at the break.

It was short-lived, however, as the tough Uruguayans won 4-2 after halftime to the joy of a full Estadio Centenario. The game was not viewed as a failure by the local press or onlookers because the Argentines competed with the greatest teams in the world while holding their own.

This could’ve been the first of Argentina world cup wins but Uruguay came out victorious from the match.

Argentina vs Champions

If there had ever been any doubt that Argentina was a global power to be reckoned with, it was dispelled by their customarily aggressive, abrasive performance against eventual champions England in 1966 which made one of the Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments. After a humiliating 1-0 loss, no one questioned the Albiceleste's desire to triumph.

A powerful team, Argentina, drew with West

in the first round, went undefeated, and almost missed the group summit due to the whims of goal average.

Only a late goal by

gave England the victory enough to advance to the next round; despite the fact that Antonio Rattin's dismissal and the ensuing brawl on the field made things worse, the Three Lions were undoubtedly shaken by the brilliant South Americans.

The World Cup Debut

Now, it seems like practically a completely different era. However, Argentina has been a global power since the 1930 World Cup, which was staged in Uruguay. This was the time the skyblues started to make Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments.

The Albiceleste, who played right across the estuary of the Rio de la Plata, made an immediate impact on the competition. In their first World Cup game, France lost 1-0 to Brazil at Nacional's Parque Central stadium.

Luis Monti, an Argentine, scored all three goals on the day. The midfielder holds the distinction of competing in two different World Cup finals; four years later, he was on Italy's winning team when they defeated Czechoslovakia.

Batigol makes history

The

Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments

list wouldn’t have been complete without

.

A fantastic accomplishment is to score three goals in a World Cup game. A player stands out as being genuinely exceptional when they score two hat-tricks in the World Cup, and even better, in back-to-back competitions.

So, we guess we shouldn't have been surprised by anything less from Gabriel Batistuta in the 1998 competition.

The newest victims of the Santa Fe native's lethal scoring ability were Jamaica, who were helpless to stop him. Everything Batigol touched throughout that 5-0 thrashing, whether with his head or his foot, appeared destined for the goal.

Total domination against Serbia

The attacking talent in Argentina's World Cup lineup from 2006 was frighteningly abundant. The squad included Javier Saviola, Hernan Crespo, Juan Roman Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, and Carlos Tevez in addition to

, an 18-year-old Barcelona prospect.

Even though the tournament would conclude in heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Germany, the Seleccion nonetheless managed to deliver one of the most thorough thrashings in World Cup history. Although by no means a little nation, Serbia and Montenegro lost to Argentina 6-0 at Gelsenkirchen because they were unable to compete with them.

That game also gave us a team goal to treasure forever, which later became one of the Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments.

The 25-Pass Goal

One can never get tired of watching that goal. Argentina has a prominent presence on all-time World Cup goals lists because to

, but few can match Esteban Cambiasso's goal against Serbia in 2006 for pure team-game perfection.

The famed announcer Victor Hugo Morales exclaims, "How many touches were there, count them please!" as the midfielder takes Hernan Crespo's flick and scores, concluding a play that included up to 26 passes before going for the goal.

Hand of God

The most debatable goal in the history is the next on the Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments list.

Jorge Valdano, Diego's teammate, described one of the most divisive incidents ever to occur on a football field in the words seen above, through World Soccer magazine. They can only be referring to what Maradona himself called the "

" deed, of course.

The diminutive playmaker rises to compete for a high ball with England's goalie, and at first glance it appears as though he somehow outjumped his opponent and headed in. Naturally, he used his hand to direct the ball into the goal. Despite vehement objections, the goal remained, helping Argentina win the

Argentina World Cup 1986

match.

1986 World Cup Final

It is simple to nearly forget about the World Cup final when discussing the Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments that took place earlier in the tournament. But even that fight, which began a string of decisive matches with West Germany, merits its own special place in history.

The power of a team gifted with players like Rudi Voller,

, and Lothar Matthaus finally began to pay off as they managed to tie the game in the second half while Argentina appeared to be coasting with a 2-0 lead.

But there was going to be a twist. With seven minutes remaining, Diego Maradona, who had been continuously double-marked and found it difficult to shine, managed to break free just long enough to free Jorge Burruchaga.

The striker was flawless in Argentina World Cup 1986, and this became the second of

Argentina world cup wins

.

First World Cup triumph in 1978

The first of Argentina world cup wins is next on the list.

The Albiceleste's first World Cup victory in 1978, which took place on home soil in a jam-packed Monumental Stadium full of Argentine fans, is never regarded with nearly the same affection as that which came eight years later.

In retrospect, it's possible that the military dictatorship in place at the time, as well as the disappearances and repression, put a shadow over that sporting accomplishment.

It is unfortunate because there is no denying that Cesar Luis Menotti's team performed miracles to defeat the Netherlands and win the World Cup.

The Oranje were a formidable opponent even without star

. But Argentina was also.

Mario Kempes, the only foreign-based player in the country, scored twice as the hosts eventually won 3-1 after extra time, earning them the first-ever Jules Rimet Trophy.

The Goal of the Century – Maradona

Not only this is one of the Argentina's Greatest World Cup Moments but also one of the best goals ever scored in the football history and the scorer was no one else than Maradona.

With his first goal against England in Argentina World Cup 1986, Diego Maradona established himself as a villain, but his second goal guaranteed him a spot in football history's hall of fame. The elegance of his dribbling and the slick yet resolute way he leaves the Three Lions defense in the dust are simply beyond description.

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