The 2019 Copa America brings one of the most anticipated matchups in the world, starting at 7:30 pm (Peruvian time), a final in advance between Brazil vs. Argentina, both teams will be looking for the spot that will take them to the title.
A clash loaded with controversies, emotions and a huge rivalry between two of South America's three world champions who have given football much more than great players. ESPN Brazil tried to describe the controversial rivalry between Argentina vs. Brazil in five reasons.
1. Pelé or Maradona? (Now also Messi)
The eternal discussion that has not yet been resolved: Who is the best player in the world? For Brazilians, it's Pelé with his three World Cups and over a thousand goals scored. For Argentinians, it's Diego Maradona with the title of Mexico 1986, but in these times Lionel Messi has emerged with his five Ballon d'Or awards, but he is overlooked for not having won anything (yet) with the albiceleste.
2. The Battle of Rosario and other fights
One of the most memorable clashes in the Brazil vs. Argentina matches was the one played in Rosario in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. A goalless draw, full of kicks, which was called the 'Battle of Rosario' and in which football was described as "the big loser".
This situation had already been experienced before, in the 1973 Copa America, when in the Gasometro stadium in Argentina, the Brazilian Carnera made a strong tackle against the Argentine Francisco Varallo, causing a brawl that stopped the match for 43 minutes. Nine years later, in the Monumental stadium in Nunez, during the final of the 1982 Copa America, Jair Rosa Pinto broke the leg of the Argentine center-back Jose Salomon. The Brazilian was baptized as "The Bomb Leg".
3. Suspicions of the Argentina 6-0 Peru
One of the biggest controversies is the alleged political arrangement between Argentina and Peru that resulted in a 6-0 victory for the albiceleste and consequently the elimination of Brazil from the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The albiceleste played knowing that they needed a four-goal difference and scored six. This controversy, until a few years ago, reopened wounds in the players of the Peruvian national team at that time.
4. The 'holy water' of Turin
In the round of 16 of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Argentina vs. Brazil faced each other again and the victory went to the albiceleste with a 1-0 goal by Claudio Paul Caniggia. But the controversy came later when Branco claimed to have felt ill after drinking the water given to him by the Argentine team's masseur. Diego Maradona, years later, confessed that it had been an order from Carlos Salvador Bilardo.
5. Tulio's hand
In the quarterfinals of the 1995 Copa America in Uruguay, Brazil eliminated Argentina with a controversial goal by Tulio Maravilha, who touched the ball with his hand despite the protests from all the albiceleste players. "They cannot complain about the goal that Maradona scored (1986). With him, it was the Hand of God, but I made the Hand of the Virgin Mary," declared the attacker about that controversial play.