Argentina national football team

Argentina

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 (caretaker)

Captain

Javier Mascherano

Most caps

Javier Zanetti (137)

Top scorer

Gabriel Batistuta (56)

Home stadium

El Monumental

FIFA code

ARG

FIFA ranking

Highest FIFA ranking

1 (March 2007, October 2007 – June 2008)

Lowest FIFA ranking

24 (August 1996)

Elo ranking

Highest Elo ranking

1 (most recently in July 2007, 34 times in total)

Lowest Elo ranking

28 (June 1990)

Home colours

Away colours

First international

Uruguay 2–3 Argentina

(Montevideo, Uruguay; 16 May 1901)

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

Honours

Men's football^[1]

Olympic medal record
Silver	1928 Amsterdam	Team
Silver	1996 Atlanta	Team
Gold	2004 Athens	Team
Gold	2008 Beijing	Team

The Argentine national football team represents Argentina in international football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Argentina has won the most international titles by any national team (19), a record shared with Uruguay.^[2]

Argentina is currently fifth in the FIFA world rankings.^[3] The team has twice won the FIFA World Cup, in 1978 and 1986. Argentina, along with Brazil and Spain, are the only teams to win a World Cup outside its continental zone. Argentina has won the Copa América 14 times, a record shared with Uruguay, won the Confederations Cup in 1992 and the Olympic Football Tournament in 2004 and 2008.

Argentina and France are the only national teams which 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).^[4]^[5] They are the current unofficial World Champions, having won the title from Spain in a friendly on 7 September 2010.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8]

World Cup 2006

Argentina had been eliminated at the group stage at Korea/Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup, although they had been among the pre-tournament favorites. There was a high expectation of a better performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Argentina qualified for the knockout stages with wins over Ivory Coast (2–1) and Serbia and Montenegro (6–0), and a 0–0 draw with the Netherlands.

In the round of sixteen, Argentina defeated Mexico 2–1 in extra-time, the winning goal by Maxi Rodríguez winning an online poll organized by FIFA, as the best goal of the World Cup [1]. In the quarter final, they lost 4–2 in a penalty shootout against hosts Germany after a 1–1 draw. A brawl erupted between the Argentines and Germans after the game ended. Unused substitute Leandro Cufré was sent off for kicking Per Mertesacker, while Maxi Rodríguez hit Bastian Schweinsteiger from behind. Following an investigation of video evidence, FIFA doled out 4-game and 2-game suspensions for Cufre and Rodriguez, respectively. Germany's Torsten Frings was suspended for the semifinal match for punching Julio Ricardo Cruz.

Shortly after the elimination, coach José Pekerman resigned from his position. AFA appointed Alfio Basile, who had previously managed the national side during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

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 Record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1930	Second Place	2	5	4	0	1	18	9
1934	Round 1	9	1	0	0	1	2	3
1938 to 1954	Withdrew	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1958	Round 1	13	3	1	0	2	5	10
1962	Round 1	10	3	1	1	1	2	3
1966	Quarter-finals	5	4	2	1	1	4	2
1970	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1974	Round 2	8	6	1	2	3	9	12
1978	Champions	1	7	5	1	1	15	4
1982	Round 2	12	5	2	0	3	8	7
1986	Champions	1	7	6	1	0	14	5
1990	Second Place	2	7	2	3	2	5	4
1994	Round of 16	9	4	2	0	2	8	6
1998	Quarter-finals	6	5	3	1	1	10	4
2002	Round 1	18	3	1	1	1	2	2
2006	Quarter-finals	6	5	3	2	0	11	3
2010	Quarter-finals	5	5	4	0	1	10	6
Total	15/19	2 Titles	70	37	13	20	123	80

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

*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.

Copa América
Total: 14 Titles
Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position
1916	Second place	1939	Withdrew	1967	Second place
1917	Second place	1941	Champions	1975	Round 1
1919	Third place	1942	Second place	1979	Round 1
1920	Second place	1945	Champions	1983	Round 1
1921	Champions	1946	Champions	1987	Fourth place
1922	Fourth place	1947	Champions	1989	Third place
1923	Second place	1949	Withdrew	1991	Champions
1924	Second place	1953	Withdrew	1993	Champions
1925	Champions	1955	Champions	1995	Quarter-finals
1926	Second place	1956	Third place	1997	Quarter-finals
1927	Champions	1957	Champions	1999	Quarter-finals
1929	Champions	1959	Champions	2001	Withdrew
1935	Second place	1959	Second place	2004	Second place
1937	Champions	1963	Third place	2007	Second place

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

Olympics Record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1896	No football tournament
1900–1920	Did Not Participate
1924	Did Not Qualify
1928	Runners-up	2	5	3	1	1	24	7
1932	No football tournament
1936–1956	Did Not Qualify
1960	Round 1	-	3	2	0	1	6	4
1964	Round 1	-	2	0	1	1	3	4
1968–1984	Did Not Qualify
1988	Quarter-finals	-	4	1	1	2	4	5
1992	Did Not Qualify
1996	Runners-up	2	6	3	2	1	13	6
2000	Did Not Qualify
2004	Champions	1	6	6	0	0	17	0
2008	Champions	1	6	6	0	0	11	2
Total	7/24	2 Titles	32	21	5	6	78	28

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

Olympic team

A selection with limited team selection (only 3 players over 23 years could be included in the squad), won the following honours. The matches in these tournaments are generally not included in the statistics of the national team.

Gold medal (2): 2004, 2008
Silver medal (2): 1928, 1996

Kit

1901–1910

1911–present

1978	1986	1994	1998–1999
2000–2002	2002–2004	2004–2006	2006–2008
2006–2008 Away	2008–2009	2008–2009 Away	2010
2010 Away

Managers

1. Angel Vázquez (1924–1925)
2. José Lago Millán (1927–1928)
3. Francisco Olazar (1928–1929)
4. Olazar & Tramutola (1929–1930)
5. Felipe Pascucci (1934–1934)
6. Manuel Seoane (1934–1937)
7. Ángel Fernández Roca (1937–1939)
8. Guillermo Stábile (1939–1960)
9. Victorio Spinetto (1960–1961)
10. José D'Amico (1961–1961)

11. Juan Carlos Lorenzo (1962–1963)
12. Alejandro Galán (1963–1963)
13. Horacio Amable Torres (1963–1964)
14. José María Minella (1964–1968)
15. Renato Cesarini (1968–1968)
16. Humberto Dionisio Maschio (1968–1969)
17. Adolfo Pedernera (1969–1969)
18. Juan José Pizzuti (1969–1972)
19. Enrique Omar Sívori (1972–1974)
20. Vladislao Cap & José Varacka (1974–1974)

21. César Luis Menotti (1974–1983)
22. Carlos Bilardo (1983–1990)
23. Alfio Basile (1990–1994)
24. Daniel Passarella (1994–1998)
25. Marcelo Bielsa (1998–2004)
26. José Pekerman (2004–2006)
27. Alfio Basile (2006–2008)
28. Diego Maradona (2008–2010)
29. Sergio Batista (2010) (caretaker)

Results and Fixtures

Argentina participated in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

2010 FIFA World Cup
Qualification Standings

	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	18	9	7	2	33	11	+22	34
Chile	18	10	3	5	32	22	+10	33
Paraguay	18	10	3	5	24	16	+8	33
Argentina	18	8	4	6	23	20	+3	28
Uruguay	18	6	6	6	28	20	+8	24
Ecuador	18	6	5	7	22	26	−4	23
Colombia	18	6	5	7	14	18	−4	23
Venezuela	18	6	4	8	23	29	−6	22
Bolivia	18	4	3	11	22	36	−14	15
Peru	18	3	4	11	11	34	−23	13


Argentina	–	3–0	1–3	2–0	1–0	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–1	4–0
Bolivia	6–1	–	2–1	0–2	0–0	1–3	4–2	3–0	2–2	0–1
Brazil	0–0	0–0	–	4–2	0–0	5–0	2–1	3–0	2–1	0–0
Chile	1–0	4–0	0–3	–	4–0	1–0	0–3	2–0	0–0	2–2
Colombia	2–1	2–0	0–0	2–4	–	2–0	0–1	1–0	0–1	1–0
Ecuador	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–0	0–0	–	1–1	5–1	1–2	0–1
Paraguay	1–0	1–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	5–1	–	1–0	1–0	2–0
Peru	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–2	0–0	–	1–0	1–0
Uruguay	0–1	5–0	0–4	2–2	3–1	0–0	2–0	6–0	–	1–1
Venezuela	0–2	5–3	0–4	2–3	2–0	3–1	1–2	3–1	2–2	–

2010 FIFA World Cup
Group B

	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9
Korea Republic	3	1	1	1	5	6	−1	4
Greece	3	1	0	2	2	5	−3	3
Nigeria	3	0	1	2	3	5	−2	1

Recent and forthcoming matches

see also 2009–10 Argentina national team results.

see also 2010–11 Argentina national team results.

Argentina 4 – 1 Korea Republic – Johannesburg, South Africa – June 17, 2010 – 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina 2 – 0 Greece – Polokwane, South Africa – June 22, 2010 – 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina 3 – 1 Mexico – Johannesburg, South Africa – June 27, 2010 – 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina 0 – 4 Germany – Cape Town, South Africa – July 3, 2010 – 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina 1 – 0 Republic of Ireland – Dublin, Republic of Ireland – August 11, 2010 – Friendly.
Argentina 4 – 1 Spain – Buenos Aires, Argentina – September 7, 2010 – Friendly.
Argentina vs Japan – Saitama, Japan – October 8, 2010 – Friendly.

Head to head

Players

Current squad

The following 22 players were named to the squad for the friendly match against Spain.^[9]

Caps and goals as of September 7, 2010, subsequent to the Friendly Match match against Spain.^[10]

0#0	Pos.	Player	Date of Birth (Age)	Caps	Goals	Club
12	GK	Mariano Andújar	July 30, 1983 (1983-07-30) (age 27)	4	0	Catania
23	GK	Agustín Marchesín	March 16, 1988 (1988-03-16) (age 22)	0	0	Lanús
1	GK	Sergio Romero	February 22, 1987 (1987-02-22) (age 23)	13	0	AZ

21	DF	Nicolás Burdisso	April 12, 1981 (1981-04-12) (age 29)	35	2	Roma
2	DF	Martín Demichelis	December 20, 1980 (1980-12-20) (age 30)	32	2	Bayern Munich
6	DF	Gabriel Heinze	April 19, 1978 (1978-04-19) (age 32)	70	3	Marseille
18	DF	Gabriel Milito	September 7, 1980 (1980-09-07) (age 30)	33	1	Barcelona
13	DF	Walter Samuel	March 23, 1978 (1978-03-23) (age 32)	56	5	Internazionale
4	DF	Pablo Zabaleta	January 16, 1985 (1985-01-16) (age 26)	8	0	Manchester City
8	DF	Javier Zanetti	August 10, 1973 (1973-08-10) (age 37)	137	5	Internazionale

20	MF	Éver Banega	June 29, 1988 (1988-06-29) (age 22)	4	0	Valencia
5	MF	Mario Bolatti	February 17, 1985 (1985-02-17) (age 25)	7	1	Fiorentina
15	MF	Andrés D'Alessandro	April 15, 1981 (1981-04-15) (age 29)	27	4	Internacional
7	MF	Ángel di María	February 14, 1988 (1988-02-14) (age 22)	15	2	Real Madrid
19	MF	Esteban Cambiasso	August 18, 1980 (1980-08-18) (age 30)	47	4	Internazionale
14	MF	Javier Mascherano (c)	June 8, 1984 (1984-06-08) (age 26)	63	2	Barcelona

16	FW	Sergio Agüero	June 2, 1988 (1988-06-02) (age 22)	25	9	Atlético Madrid
9	FW	Gonzalo Higuaín	December 10, 1987 (1987-12-10) (age 23)	11	7	Real Madrid
17	FW	Ezequiel Lavezzi	May 3, 1985 (1985-05-03) (age 25)	7	0	Napoli
10	FW	Lionel Messi	June 24, 1987 (1987-06-24) (age 23)	51	14	Barcelona
22	FW	Diego Milito	June 12, 1979 (1979-06-12) (age 31)	23	4	Internazionale
11	FW	Carlos Tévez	February 5, 1984 (1984-02-05) (age 27)	57	12	Manchester City

Recent call ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of Birth (Age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest Callup
GK	Diego Pozo	February 16, 1978 (1978-02-16) (age 32)	3	0	Colón	2010 FIFA World Cup
GK	Adrián Gabbarini	October 10, 1985 (1985-10-10) (age 25)	1	0	Independiente	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
GK	Cristian Campestrini	June 16, 1980 (1980-06-16) (age 30)	2	0	Arsenal	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
GK	Nelson Ibáñez	January 13, 1981 (1981-01-13) (age 30)	1	0	Godoy Cruz	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
GK	Juan Pablo Carrizo	May 6, 1984 (1984-05-06) (age 26)	10	0	River Plate	vs Paraguay, September 9, 2009 (WCQ)

DF	Fabricio Coloccini	January 22, 1982 (1982-01-22) (age 29)	34	1	Newcastle United	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Emiliano Insúa	January 7, 1989 (1989-01-07) (age 22)	2	0	Galatasaray	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Ariel Garcé	July 14, 1979 (1979-07-14) (age 31)	4	0	Colón	2010 FIFA World Cup
DF	Nicolás Otamendi	February 12, 1988 (1988-02-12) (age 23)	10	0	Porto	2010 FIFA World Cup
DF	Clemente Rodríguez	July 31, 1981 (1981-07-31) (age 29)	13	1	Boca Juniors	2010 FIFA World Cup
DF	Juan Insaurralde	October 3, 1984 (1984-10-03) (age 26)	2	0	Boca Juniors	World Cup provisional squad, May 11, 2010
DF	Matías Caruzzo	August 15, 1984 (1984-08-15) (age 26)	5	0	Boca Juniors	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Paolo Goltz	May 12, 1985 (1985-05-12) (age 25)	1	0	Lanús	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Cristian Villagra	December 27, 1985 (1985-12-27) (age 25)	2	0	Metalist Kharkiv	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Ignacio Canuto	February 20, 1986 (1986-02-20) (age 24)	3	1	Maccabi Haifa	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Mariano Echevarría	May 27, 1981 (1981-05-27) (age 29)	1	0	Tigre	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Leonel Galeano	August 2, 1991 (1991-08-02) (age 19)	1	0	Independiente	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Gabriel Mercado	March 18, 1987 (1987-03-18) (age 23)	1	0	Estudiantes	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Fabián Monzón	April 13, 1987 (1987-04-13) (age 23)	4	0	Boca Juniors	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Guillermo Burdisso	April 24, 1988 (1988-04-24) (age 22)	1	1	Roma	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Gastón Díaz	March 13, 1988 (1988-03-13) (age 22)	0	0	Vélez Sársfield	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Carlos Matheu	May 13, 1985 (1985-05-13) (age 25)	1	0	Independiente	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Cristian Álvarez	January 9, 1978 (1978-01-09) (age 33)	0	0	Arsenal	vs Catalonia, December 22, 2009 (Unofficial Friendly)
DF	Emiliano Papa	April 19, 1982 (1982-04-19) (age 28)	6	0	Vélez Sársfield	vs Catalonia, December 22, 2009 (Unofficial Friendly)
DF	Nicolás Pareja	January 19, 1984 (1984-01-19) (age 27)	0	0	Spartak Moscow	vs Catalonia, December 22, 2009 (Unofficial Friendly)
DF	Cristian Ansaldi	September 20, 1986 (1986-09-20) (age 24)	1	0	Rubin Kazan	vs Spain, November 14, 2009 (Friendly)
DF	Rolando Schiavi	January 18, 1973 (1973-01-18) (age 38)	4	0	Newell's Old Boys	vs Uruguay, October 14, 2009 (WCQ)
DF	Sebastián Domínguez	July 29, 1980 (1980-07-29) (age 30)	2	0	Vélez Sársfield	vs Paraguay, September 9, 2009 (WCQ)

MF	Jesús Dátolo	May 19, 1984 (1984-05-19) (age 26)	3	2	Espanyol	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Fernando Gago	April 10, 1986 (1986-04-10) (age 24)	28	0	Real Madrid	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Jonás Gutiérrez	July 5, 1983 (1983-07-05) (age 27)	20	1	Newcastle United	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Javier Pastore	June 20, 1989 (1989-06-20) (age 21)	4	0	Palermo	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Maxi Rodríguez	January 2, 1981 (1981-01-02) (age 30)	41	12	Liverpool	vs Republic of Ireland, August 11, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Juan Sebastián Verón	March 9, 1975 (1975-03-09) (age 35)	73	9	Estudiantes	2010 FIFA World Cup
MF	Sebastián Blanco	March 15, 1988 (1988-03-15) (age 22)	2	1	Lanús	World Cup provisional squad, May 11, 2010
MF	Juan Mercier	February 2, 1980 (1980-02-02) (age 31)	3	0	Argentinos Juniors	World Cup provisional squad, May 11, 2010
MF	José Ernesto Sosa	June 19, 1985 (1985-06-19) (age 25)	6	1	Napoli	World Cup provisional squad, May 11, 2010
MF	Facundo Bertoglio	June 30, 1990 (1990-06-30) (age 20)	1	2	Dynamo Kyiv	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	José Luis Fernández	October 26, 1987 (1987-10-26) (age 23)	1	0	Racing	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Nicolás Olmedo	March 10, 1983 (1983-03-10) (age 27)	1	0	Godoy Cruz	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Patricio Toranzo	March 19, 1982 (1982-03-19) (age 28)	2	0	Racing	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Walter Acevedo	February 16, 1986 (1986-02-16) (age 24)	1	0	River Plate	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Nicolás Gaitán	February 23, 1988 (1988-02-23) (age 22)	3	0	Benfica	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Federico Insúa	January 3, 1980 (1980-01-03) (age 31)	14	0	Bursaspor	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Jesús Méndez	August 1, 1984 (1984-08-01) (age 26)	2	0	Boca Juniors	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Walter Erviti	June 12, 1980 (1980-06-12) (age 30)	1	0	Banfield	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Enzo Pérez	February 22, 1986 (1986-02-22) (age 24)	3	0	Estudiantes	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Franco Razzotti	February 6, 1985 (1985-02-06) (age 26)	1	0	Vélez Sársfield	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Pablo Aimar	November 3, 1979 (1979-11-03) (age 31)	52	8	Benfica	vs Catalonia, December 22, 2009 (Unofficial Friendly)
MF	Diego Perotti	July 26, 1988 (1988-07-26) (age 22)	1	0	Sevilla	vs Spain, November 14, 2009 (Friendly)
MF	Rodrigo Braña	March 7, 1979 (1979-03-07) (age 31)	1	0	Estudiantes	vs Uruguay, October 14, 2009 (WCQ)
MF	Lucho González	January 19, 1981 (1981-01-19) (age 30)	43	6	Marseille	vs Uruguay, October 14, 2009 (WCQ)
MF	Leonel Vangioni	May 5, 1987 (1987-05-05) (age 23)	1	0	Newell's Old Boys	vs Ghana, September 30, 2009 (Friendly)
MF	Sebastián Battaglia	November 8, 1980 (1980-11-08) (age 30)	10	0	Boca Juniors	vs Paraguay, September 9, 2009 (WCQ)

FW	Martín Palermo	November 7, 1973 (1973-11-07) (age 37)	15	9	Boca Juniors	2010 FIFA World Cup
FW	Franco Jara	July 15, 1988 (1988-07-15) (age 22)	3	1	Benfica	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Ariel Ortega	March 4, 1974 (1974-03-04) (age 36)	87	17	River Plate	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Juan Pablo Pereyra	May 30, 1984 (1984-05-30) (age 26)	1	0	Estudiantes	vs Haiti, May 5, 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Gabriel Hauche	November 27, 1986 (1986-11-27) (age 24)	3	0	Racing	vs Jamaica, February 10, 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Mauro Boselli	May 22, 1985 (1985-05-22) (age 25)	2	0	Wigan Athletic	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Jonathan Cristaldo	May 3, 1989 (1989-05-03) (age 21)	0	0	Vélez Sársfield	vs Costa Rica, January 26, 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Eduardo Salvio	May 13, 1990 (1990-05-13) (age 20)	1	0	Atlético Madrid	vs Catalonia, December 22, 2009 (Unofficial Friendly)
FW	Luis Rodríguez	January 1, 1985 (1985-01-01) (age 26)	1	0	Newell's Old Boys	vs Ghana, September 30, 2009 (Friendly)
FW	Lisandro López	March 2, 1983 (1983-03-02) (age 27)	7	1	Lyon	vs Paraguay, September 9, 2009 (WCQ)

Previous squads

World Cup

1930 FIFA World Cup squad
1934 FIFA World Cup squad
1958 FIFA World Cup squad
1962 FIFA World Cup squad
1966 FIFA World Cup squad
1974 FIFA World Cup squad
1978 FIFA World Cup squad
1982 FIFA World Cup squad
1986 FIFA World Cup squad
1990 FIFA World Cup squad
1994 FIFA World Cup squad
1998 FIFA World Cup squad
2002 FIFA World Cup squad
2006 FIFA World Cup squad
2010 FIFA World Cup squad

Copa America

1991 Copa América squad
1993 Copa América squad
1995 Copa América squad
1997 Copa América squad
1999 Copa América squad
2004 Copa América squad
2007 Copa América squad

Confederations Cup

1992 FIFA Confederations Cup squad
1995 FIFA Confederations Cup squad
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup squad

Most capped players

As of June 28, 2010, the ten players with the most caps for Argentina are:

#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1.	Javier Zanetti	1994–pesent	137	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	1993–2010	87	17
7.	Gabriel Batistuta	1991–2002	78	56
8.	Juan Pablo Sorín	1995–2006	76	12
9.	Américo Gallego	1975–1982	73	3
9.	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
5.	Daniel Passarella	1976–1986	22	70
7.	José Sanfilippo	1956–1962	21	29
7.	Herminio Masantonio	1935–1942	21	19
9.	Mario Kempes	1973–1982	20	43
10.	Norberto Méndez	1945–1956	19	31
10.	José Manuel Moreno	1936–1950	19	34
10.	René Pontoni	1942–1947	19	19

Notable players

To appear in this section, players should have played 50 games or scored at least 10 goals for Argentina, or been part of a World Cup or Copa América winning team.

Pablo Aimar (1997–2009)
Antonio Angelillo (also played for Italy) (1957)
Osvaldo Ardiles (1974–1982)
Roberto Ayala (1995–2007)
Abel Balbo (1988–1998)
Gabriel Batistuta (1991–2003)
Claudio Borghi (1983–1986)
Miguel Ángel Brindisi (1969–1974)
José Luis Brown (1983–1990)
Jorge Burruchaga (1983–1990)
Pedro Calomino (1917–1921)
Claudio Caniggia (1988–2002)
Roberto Cherro (1926–1937)
Omar Oreste Corbatta (1956–1962)
Hernán Crespo (1995–2007)
Alfredo Di Stéfano (also played for Colombia and Spain) (1947)
Ramón Díaz (1979–1982)
Rogelio Domínguez (1951–1963)
Ubaldo Fillol (1972–1985)
Rodolfo Fischer (1967–1972)
Marcelo Gallardo (1995–2002)
Américo Gallego (1975–1982)
Ricardo Giusti (1983–1990)
Kily González (1995–2005)
Sergio Goycochea (1989–1995)
Gabriel Heinze (2003– )
Mario Kempes (1974–1982)
Ángel Labruna (1942–1958)
Claudio López (1995–2004)
Félix Loustau (1945–1952)
Leopoldo Luque (1975–1981)
Javier Mascherano (2003– )
Diego Armando Maradona (1977–1994)

Rinaldo Martino (1942–1948)
Herminio Masantonio (1935–1942)
José Manuel Moreno (1940–1947)
Lionel Messi (2005– )
Luis Monti (also played for Italy) (1924–1931)
Julio Olarticoechea (1982–1990)
Jorge Olguín (1976–1982)
Ermindo Onega (1960–1967)
Ariel Ortega (1993–2010)
Daniel Passarella (1974–1986)
Adolfo Pedernera (1940–1946)
Carlos Peucelle (1928–1940)
Nery Pumpido (1983–1990)
Antonio Rattín (1959–1966)
Fernando Redondo (1991–1996)
Juan Román Riquelme (1997–2008)
Oscar Ruggeri (1982–1994)
Walter Samuel (1999– )
José Sanfilippo (1957–1962)
Javier Saviola (2003–2006)
Roberto Néstor Sensini (1987–2003)
Diego Simeone (1991–2003)
Omar Sivori (also played for Italy) (1956–1957)
Juan Pablo Sorín (1995–2006)
Guillermo Stábile (1924–1934)
Domingo Tarasconi (1922–1929)
Carlos Tévez (2004– )
Marcelo Trobbiani (1974–1986)
Jorge Valdano (1980–1990)
Juan Sebastián Verón (1995– )
Ricardo Villa (1974–1982)
Javier Zanetti (1994– )

see also Category:Argentina international footballers

Facts

1964 line-up for the Nations' Cup

Argentina and Uruguay hold the record for the most international matches played between two countries. The two teams have faced each other 161 times since 1901. The first match against Uruguay was the first official international match to be played outside the United Kingdom.^[11]
Marcelo Trobbiani was a member of the Argentina World Cup squad in 1986, but he only managed two minutes of play in the entire tournament, he came on in the 88th minute of the World Cup Final against West Germany. This two minutes of football equalled the world record for the shortest World Cup career set by Tunisia's Khemais Labidi in 1978.
In the 2006 World Cup Leandro Cufré was given a red card and sent off after the end of the Quarter Final game with Germany for his part in the brawl after the match, even though he was a substitute and had not participated in the game itself. It is the only occasion of a player being sent off in a FIFA World Cup match after the final whistle. Four years earlier, in the 2002 World Cup Claudio Caniggia was sent off for swearing at a match official from the substitute bench.

Footnotes

↑ After 1988, the tournament has been restricted to squads with no more than 3 players over the age of 23, and these matches are not regarded as part of the national team's record, nor are caps awarded.
↑ Asociación del Fútbol Argentino
↑ FIFA.com – The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking
↑ FIFA.com – Argentina on FIFA.com
↑ FIFA.com – Tournaments
↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". ufwc.co.uk. http://www.ufwc.co.uk/. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
↑ "Football gold for Argentina". BBC News. August 28, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/football/3607296.stm. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
↑ FIFA.com – Argentina first for first time
↑ "Gago fue desafectado para el amistoso ante España" (in Spanish). AFA. 25 August 2010. http://www.afa.org.ar/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12390:lista-de-convocados-para-el-amistoso-ante-espana&catid=164:seleccion-mayor&Itemid=66. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
↑ "National football teams Argentina". National-football-teams.com. http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/country.php?id=9&year=2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
↑ Although Canada and the United States played two internationals in 1885 and 1886, neither match is considered official; Canada did not play an official international until 1904 and the USA did not play one until 1916.

External links

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