England-Argentina Is A Rivalry Rooted In Ghosts, Thorns And Legends

Rivalries in football often exist for singular reasons. It's not that they're simplistic, but rather, we understand why they are there. Like Liverpool's rivalry with Everton or the Superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate, local derbies are disputed and contested based on a turf war that has placed them close together but in reality, ever so apart. They are neighbors who detest each other and nothing will ever change that. 

It's different on the international stage, where impactful cultural and political moments in history create rivalries so fierce that it lives carries through generations. Take the Clásico del Pacífico between Chile and Peru, which stemmed from a war in the 1800s, as an example. As my father taught me at a very early age, Peruvians say the word "Chalaca" instead of "Chilena" to describe a bicycle kick, as Perú refuses to believe that a Spanish-born Chilean invented the acrobatic move, and credit it to Afro-Peruvians from a time that was never recorded. 

But I digress. My point is that rivalries in the beautiful game usually have a connecting tissue that lives on in the mindset of every supporter, where history and geography paint a picture of a fierce battle on the pitch. 

Nonetheless, there is one rivalry that is so deep it stands above others. It's both delicate and purposeful, as it derives from war, social and cultural animosity from two continents and ways of life, but at the same time — but that also has given us some of the most memorable, dramatic moments in World Cup football. 

It is a rivalry made of thorns, rooted in years of rancor where stars also look to rise out of ferocious moments of action.

This is Argentina and England. A match like no other. 

After Argentina’s victory over