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Football is the most popular sport in Argentina, and is intertwined with the nation's culture and history. Children play the sport from a young age, and nearly everyone enrolls themselves with a youth club.
The sport was introduced in Argentina by British immigrants in Buenos Aires. The first Argentine league kicked off in 1891, making it the fifth-oldest recognised league in a FIFA member country. Since then, the Albiceleste have seen many highs and lows.
Argentina have won two FIFA World Cups, 15 Copa Americas and two gold medals at the Summer Olympics in their rich history. They won the latest edition of the Copa America earlier this year, beating Brazil in the final.
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Over the years, top players from Argentina have brought various unique qualities to the biggest stage. They play with determination, creativity and a sense of enjoyment. These players have entertained with their silky skills and wonder-goals while playing for clubs and country.
On that note, here's a look at the five most entertaining Argentine players of all time.
#5 Sergio Aguero
Sergio Leonel Aguero del Castillo, also known as Kun Aguero, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1988. He gained prominence playing for Argentine club Independiente, before moving to Atletico Madrid in Spain.
With Atleti, Aguero became a lethal and prolific goalscorer, earning admiration across top clubs in Europe. Manchester City won the race for the Argentine striker, and signed him for £35 million in 2011.
It was with City that Aguero achieved legendary status. The Argentine is City's all-time top scorer with 260 goals in 390 appearances. He won Manchester City their first Premier League title - their first top division title since the 1960s.
Aguero did it with an incredible stoppage-time winner against QPR on the final day of the 2011-12 season.
Aguero scored 184 of his 260 goals for City in the Premier League, making him the player with the most goals scored for a single team in the competition. Aguero is also the highest non-English scorer in the league's history. What's incredible is that the Argentine did that at a rate of a goal every 108 minutes.
They say good things come in threes, and Aguero masterfully proved that to be true.
The Argentine holds the record for the most hat-tricks (12) in Premier League history. One of the notable ones came in a 6-0 demolition of Chelsea in 2019, with Aguero's goals helping City move to the top of the Premier League table.
Aguero represented the Argentine national team 101 times, scoring 41 goals - the third-highest in the nation's history.
He announced his retirement from football earlier this month owing to a heart condition. Fans worldwide will always remember Kun Aguero for his contributions to the beautiful game.
#4 Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta, nicknamed 'Batigol', was born in Santa Fe, Argentina in 1969. He began his career at Newell's Old Boys before enjoying spells with River Plate and Boca Juniors. In 1991, Fiorentina signed the Argentine striker, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Batistuta was one of the most ruthless and focussed goalscorers in the history of the game. The Argentine played 331 games for Fiorentina, scoring 203 goals and providing just five assists. He left the club as their second-highest top scorer, just a goal shy of the record.
Batistuta was known for his aggressive style of play, and was a menace in the penalty area. His movement off the ball, strength in the air and ability to hold off defenders allowed the Argentine to excel as a striker.
'Batigol' played 77 games for Argentina, and scored 54 goals at a rate of 0.7 goals per game - the highest among the top five. He is the Albicelete's second-highest goalscorer, behind Lionel Messi.
Batistuta had a knack of performing at FIFA World Cups, scoring two hat-tricks at the tournament.
Batistuta unfortunately suffered recurring injury setbacks later in his career, which reduced his game time significantly. It affected his form, and the Argentine could not reach the same level as he had done earlier. He retired in 2005 after seeing his contract with Al-Arabi through.
'Batigol' will always be remembered as one of the most lethal strikers produced by Argentina.
#3 Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi was born in Bell Ville, Argentina in 1954. He played for various clubs in Argentina, and had his most prominent spells with Rosario Central and Valencia (Spain).
He scored 85 goals for Rosario between 1973 and 1976. He later continued his prolific run, scoring 116 goals in 184 games for Valencia over two spells at the club.
Kempes enjoyed a great purple patch in the 1970s. He finished as La Liga's top goalscorer two years in a row (1977, 1978) with Valencia.
Mario Kempes played in 43 games for the Argentine national team, scoring 20 goals. He represented the Albiceleste at three FIFA World Cups, and was key in their triumph in 1978.
Kempes finished as the leading scorer in that tournament, winning the Golden Boot. He was also named 'Player of the Tournament', and was awarded the Golden Ball. He was only the third player alongside Garrincha (Brazil, 1962) and Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982) to achieve the treble of Golden Boot, Golden Ball and the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Kempes scored a brace in the final against the Netherlands, helping Argentina win 3-1.
Kempes retired from football in 1996, and had short managerial stints at several clubs until 2002. He now works as a commentator for La Liga in Spain. Mario Kempes will always be a special player in Argentine football history, as their key player in their first-ever World Cup win.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Andres Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1987. He is arguably the greatest player to grace a football pitch, and has an incredible scoring record and trophy cabinet to go with it.
Messi holds the record for the most wins in the prestigious Ballon d'Or award. The Argentine recently received the Ballon d'Or 2021, his seventh win.
The Argentine forward has scored 678 goals and provided 306 assists in 793 appearances in club football. Out of those numbers, 672 goals and 301 assists came for Barcelona, making Messi the highest scorer in the club's history. He also won a record 35 trophies with the Blaugrana.
Taking advantage of his diminutive stature, Messi is known to manipulate the trajectory of the ball to confuse goalkeepers. He has scored several 'chipped' goals, and has embarrassed a lot of defenders in the process. One such goal was Messi's incredible chip against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in 2015.
Lionel Messi is also Argentina's top scorer, as well as the most-capped player, with 80 goals in 158 appearances. He recently won his first international trophy - the 2021 Copa America.
Lionel Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in the summer of 2021, and will hope to propel the Parisians to European glory in the near future.
#1 Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona was born in Lanus, Argentina, in 1960. The Argentine attacker enjoyed a largely successful career with several clubs as well as the Albiceleste. He was nicknamed 'El Pibe de Oro' or 'The Golden Boy' for his trickery and goalscoring ability.
Maradona played for several clubs in Argentina and across Europe, most notably with Argentinos Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli. He won two Serie A titles and one UEFA Cup with Napoli. Their current stadium is named after him.
A true artist on the football pitch, Maradona captivated with his unique ways. At one point, he prepared for kick-off before a game for Napoli with an interesting dance, juggling and skipping routine along with classical music.
He displayed his incredibly quick feet and swift movement during his goalscoring exploits too. Maradona scored an incredible goal at the 1986 FIFA World Cup against England. He danced and weaved through several defenders alone before finishing off the move with a goal.
However, just minutes before that incredible solo effort, Maradona scored arguably the most iconic, absurd and controversial goal in football history - the infamous 'Hand of God' goal.
Maradona won the 1986 FIFA World Cup as captain, and cemented his legacy in Argentine footballing history with aplomb. He played for his country 91 times, scoring 34 goals.
Maradona sadly passed away in November 2020, but will always be remembered as the most entertaining player to have played the game.
