England and Argentina share one of football's most intense rivalries, described as the only trans-continental derby, forged in politics, history, and football folklore. From the British invasions of 1806 and 1807 to the hand of God and the boot of Beckham, the animosity runs deep. Yet, those closest to the struggle acknowledge that the two nations make perfect sparring partners.
Simeone on the Rivalry and the 1998 Clash
Diego Simeone, now Atlético Madrid coach, was the arch nemesis of David Beckham at the 1998 World Cup. His feigned collapse after Beckham's foolish flick led to Beckham's red card, altering the game's trajectory. Simeone told the Guardian in 2002: "I love playing against the English. English football is always more open, aggressive and passionate. Whether you win or lose against English teams, you always feel it's been a proper contest." He recalled his first game against England at Wembley in 1991, rolling up his trouser leg to show a scar from Stuart Pearce: "I've still got a souvenir from that day. Great game."
Regarding the 1998 last-16 match, Simeone called it "the best international match I've played in. They [England] were incredible that night. Alan Shearer and Paul Ince were extraordinary. At times it seemed Shearer was fighting us on his own. You have to remember they played for 70 minutes with 10 men."
Simeone was bashful about the pain he caused Beckham. The Mirror's headline read "Ten heroic Lions, one stupid boy," and an effigy of Beckham was hung outside a London pub. Simeone said: "That's way over the top. It's not that it frightens me but it's a wakeup call for everyone, including journalists. You have to be careful. It was not just my fault. There's a ref involved, too. I guess David had a torrid few months after that. The press were putting all the blame on him. I don't think that was at all fair. He just made a mistake, an instinctive reaction."
Years later, Simeone and Beckham were pictured together in Miami for Argentina's game against Cape Verde, with Beckham writing "Bumped into an old friend" on Instagram.
Michael Owen's Goal and Glenn Hoddle's Reflections
England had Michael Owen's extraordinary run from the halfway line to make it 2-1 in 1998. Owen was only 18. Glenn Hoddle, England manager that day, recalled: "There was no fear in him whatsoever. When Michael turns, runs and beats the first couple of players, I remember thinking: 'Bloody hell! He's clean through!' But Roberto Ayala was so deep, he was almost on the D of the penalty area and I hadn't seen him. But as soon as Ayala squared up to him, it was clear he didn't have a clue how much pace Michael had."
Owen concurred: "Becks played the initial ball to me and one of their midfielders was only a couple of yards away from me. I just thought that, if I took a good touch, I could run past him and start an attack. It was only after the first touch, which I took in my stride, that I looked up and thought: 'Oh my God – there's a goal on here!' As soon as I saw Ayala, who was isolated deeper, it was a case of making the best chance to shoot. You don't want to go too close to him and get tackled. You don't want to push it too flat and make the angle too hard. Then it was just about the finish."
Simeone admitted Argentina hadn't done their homework on Owen: "He was a shock to us. He was only 18 and we hadn't seen him play. It was a pleasant surprise for the fans [but] not for us."
The Red Card and Disallowed Goal
Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen showed a red card to Beckham. Hoddle said: "I thought: 'Oh, here comes the yellow', but suddenly the red came out. And I'm thinking: 'What on earth is going on here?' It was never in a million years a sending-off. Becks knows he did the wrong thing and that at that level they'll make it into something else, which they did. But you need strong refereeing."
In a separate interview, Simeone conceded: "Sometimes you have to be a bit cunning and sometimes you play the fool. I happened to be the intelligent one. Beckham did nothing to me."
The drama continued when Sol Campbell headed what looked to be an 81st-minute winner, only for it to be disallowed for a Shearer challenge. Hoddle recalled 20 years later: "It's almost like I'm living it again. It's so deep. It scarred me. I'm looking down into the corner flag where Michael's on Sol's back. There's about five players celebrating. Suddenly I saw Ray Clemence, the goalkeeping coach. He looks back towards the pitch and says: 'What the fuck is going on?' My eyes go back to the pitch and they're attacking. It's like a nightmare."
Owen said: "How Argentina didn't score from that was amazing. I think it was 11 against four!"
The match ended in a 4-3 defeat on penalties. After the match, the team buses briefly drew up alongside each other outside the Saint-Étienne stadium. The Argentinian players celebrated wildly. John Gorman, Hoddle's assistant, said: "You could have been forgiven for mistaking them as fans. They were jumping up and down like madmen."
Simeone didn't dispel the impression that this one meant more: "Knocking out England, with all the history that goes with that, was a huge joy."
Revenge in 2002 and the Legacy of Maradona
There was revenge of sorts in 2002 when England triumphed 1-0 in Sapporo. David Beckham scored the penalty won by Michael Owen from a foul by Mauricio Pochettino. When quizzed about his challenge on Owen, Pochettino always smiles and good-naturedly lectures his English audience on its sense of fair play. "For sure it was a dive," Pochettino said. Owen conceded: "I could have stayed on my feet, the defender's caught me and I did have a decent gash down my shin from it – but I could have stayed up."
Nothing encapsulates the duality that drives Argentinian football more than Maradona in 1986. Simeone, then a teenager, recalled watching the game with his dad. "When Maradona scored the hand of God goal, my father shouted 'handball'. I told my dad: 'No, it's a good goal.' I just didn't see it. Maradona was so quick. But the second goal proved he was the greatest player in the world."
Simeone expounded on the deep origins of that second goal: "In Argentina, when we played in the street as a kid we didn't call it football. We call it jugar a la pelota [playing with the ball]. It's prettier than football. It's about beating players, dribbling, showing off. Football is something more professional, more serious and disciplined. In Argentina, dribbling past three players is the ultimate."
When Maradona scored the goal of the century against England? "That," said Simeone, "was jugar a la pelota."
