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Argentina have produced some incredible footballers throughout history. But in recent times, they haven't been able to garner much success. In fact, their achievements or trophy haul do no justice to the immense potential they possess.
Diego Maradona, one of the greatest footballers of all time, hailed from Argentina. The legendary forward made an entire generation fall in love with the beautiful game thanks to his unmatched artistry on the football pitch.
Over the course of history, there have been plenty of world-class Argentinian footballers. Gabriel Batistuta, Mario Kempes, Omar Sivori, Ubaldo Fillol and Javier Mascherano are just a few incredible players who came from the great South American nation.
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La Albiceleste ended a 28-year drought in the Copa America by winning the continental competition this past summer. After years of turbulence and shortfalls, the Argentina national team seems to be finally living up to its legacy.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best Argentina players in the world right now.
#5 Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid)
Rodrigo De Paul was the most expensive La Liga signing of this past summer transfer window. The 27-year-old made the switch from Serie A outfit Udinese to reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid on a deal worth €35 million.
De Paul is a hard-working box-to-box midfielder who is as adept at bombing forward and joining in attack as he is at dispensing his defensive duties. In the 2020-21 season, he scored nine goals and provided 10 assists for Udinese in Serie A.
He possesses an excellent passing range and is great at dictating the pace of games and at exploiting spaces with his clever playmaking. He is also a great ball progressor and his dribbling skills enable him to draw opposition players onto him, allowing his teammates to find space.
De Paul was a fixture in the Argentina side that won the 2021 Copa America and will be a great asset to Atletico Madrid once he settles down at his new club.
#4 Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
From being Arsenal's second-choice goalkeeper to being one of Argentina's best players in their 2021 Copa America triumph, Emi Martinez has come a long way. He incredibly saved three penalties in Argentina's Copa America semi-final tie against Colombia and was La Albiceleste's big hero of the night.
Premier League fans who were watching the feat wouldn't have been surprised. They would have got used to Martinez's heroics for both Arsenal and then Aston Villa. After impressing at the Emirates in the absence of an injured Bernd Leno, Aston Villa signed the Argentinian goalkeeper for around €23 million.
In his first season at Villa Park, Martinez broke Brad Friedel's club record for most clean sheets in a Premier League season with 15. Martinez was also picked as the Aston Villa Supporters' Player of the Season.
The 29-year-old had earned his first call-up to the Argentinian national side in 2011 but it was only 10 years later that he played his first major tournament for them.
#3 Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Despite all the wealth that Argentina have possessed in the goalscoring department, the results have just not been there to show for it. However, 24-year-old striker Lautaro Martinez seems to be on a mission to change that.
Martinez is quickly establishing himself as one of the best strikers in the world. He possesses explosive pace, excellent close control and is an excellent finisher. Couple that with great spatial awareness and movement, you have a young striker who can single-handedly win you games.
In a total of 31 appearances for the Argentina national team, Martinez has scored 15 goals and provided four assists. In the 2020-21 season, he struck up a wonderful striking partnership with Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan as they won the Scudetto after 11 long years.
Martinez scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists for Inter Milan in 48 matches across all competitions in the 2020-21 season. He has got off to a good start to the 2021-22 Serie A season as well, scoring three goals in four appearances so far.
#2 Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain)
In many ways it was fitting that Angel Di Maria scored the winner for Argentina in the 2021 Copa America final against Brazil. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker is one of the most technically gifted players of his generation but he doesn't always get the credit he deserves.
There is an argument that Argentina would have beaten Germany in the 2014 World Cup final if Di Maria had been available to play. He was in sensational form during the competition but missed out on the final due to a thigh injury.
But Di Maria has now remained world-class for a decade. It's hard to find a player who is as precise with his through balls in the final third than the 33-year-old. He scored six goals and registered a whopping 18 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for PSG in the 2020-21 season.
#1 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
If we were compiling a list of Argentina's all-time greats, Lionel Messi would perhaps top that one too. There's really no argument here. Messi is one of the greatest to ever grace the game and even at the age of 34, he continues to be a class apart.
Messi was chosen as the best player at the 2021 Copa America. He was also the joint-top scorer in the competition with four goals and racked up five assists as well. Messi's leadership and determination to win a major international trophy also went a long way towards Argentina's triumph in the continental competition.
It was a summer where Messi traversed the whole spectrum of emotions. After winning the Copa America, he had to leave Barcelona due to the club's terrible financial situation. He is currently plying his trade for Paris Saint-Germain.
In the 2020-21 season, Messi scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for the Catalans.
