Argentina–England football rivalry
| Teams |
 Argentina England
|
|---|---|
| First meeting | May 9, 1951 England 2–1 Argentina |
| Latest meeting | November 12, 2005 England 3–2 Argentina Friendly Match, Geneva, Switzerland |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 15 |
| Most wins | England (6) Argentina (3) |
| Largest victory | England 3–1 Argentina (June 2, 1962) England 3–1 Argentina (May 13, 1980) |
| Largest goal scoring | Argentina 2–3 England (November 12, 2005) |
The Argentina–England football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans. Games between the two teams, even those that are only friendly matches, are often marked by notable and sometimes controversial incidents.
The rivalry is unusual in that it is an intercontinental one; typically such footballing rivalries exist between countries that are close to one another, for example France–Italy or Argentina–Brazil. Argentina is regarded in England as one of the major rivals of the English football team, matched only by Germany and Scotland. The rivalry is also keenly felt in Argentina, locally described as a Clásico, where only matches against Brazil or Uruguay carry a greater significance in popular perception.
The rivalry emerged across several games during the latter half of the 20th century, even though as of 2008 the teams have played each other on only 14 occasions in full internationals. It was driven by various controversial incidents, particularly those in the games played between the teams at the 1966 and 1986 FIFA World Cups. The rivalry was also intensified, particularly in Argentina, by a non-footballing event, the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. However, despite the intense rivalry between the national sides and its high media and public profile, numerous Argentine players have played for English club sides with few problems, with many such as Osvaldo Ardiles or Ricardo Villa and current national team members Sergio Agüero, Pablo Zabaleta and Ángel Di María becoming popular with fans in England.
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