I did it against Jordan… a big English attack on Argentina’s move. just myths.

Argentina’s Football Association’s decision to wear a navy blue away shirt in England’s 2026 World Cup semi-final has sparked criticism in the British media, who have seen the move as a deliberate attempt to wage psychological warfare against the Three Lions ahead of next Wednesday night’s crucial game.

Defending champions Argentina are set to face England at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the American city of Atlanta, where Tango will wear their navy blue away shirt while England will play in their traditional all-white kit.

Waking up the ghosts of the painful past

The Argentina national team has only worn this blue jersey once since the start of the current World Cup, namely in a match against Jordan in the group stage competition, which ended with a crushing victory for Argentina with a score of 3:1.

According to numerous press reports, the choice of this particular color was not random or mundane, but carried deep historical and symbolic connotations, as the blue jersey is associated in Argentina’s collective memory with the two greatest and most famous victories of the Tango against England in World Cup history.

The first victory came in the quarter-finals in Mexico 1986, where the late legend Diego Armando Maradona scored two immortal goals against England, one of which was a famous own goal and the other was considered the most beautiful goal in World Cup history, after going through half of England alone.

As for the second win, it was in the last 16 at the 1998 edition in France, where Argentina won a thrilling penalty shoot-out after both first and extra time ended in a draw, with the blue shirt present on both occasions.

Just baseless myths

For its part, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) did not hide its disapproval of this decision, describing it as nothing more than “football myths” that are not based on any logical or scientific basis, stating that coach Lionel Scalloni and members of his technical staff exaggerated this historical symbolism.

The British authority added that there is a prevailing belief in the Argentine camp that the navy blue shirt is closely associated with big wins, particularly at the expense of England, a phenomenon he describes as “superstitious thinking”.

However, the BBC was quick to dismiss this theory, pointing out that the last World Cup finals encounter between the two teams, namely South Korea-Japan 2002, saw the two teams wearing completely different colours, with England coming out in their all-red jerseys and winning with a clean sheet, while Argentina played in their whites.

Trying to gain a psychological advantage

In turn, the widely distributed English newspaper “Metro” went further, considering that the move of the Argentines is a clear and deliberate attempt to gain a psychological advantage before the whistle of the decisive match.

The newspaper writes that the Tango camp decided to go back in time and evoke memories of the glorious past and very carefully chose the same shirt worn by the legend Diego Maradona when he humbled England and scored his unforgettable historic goals, consciously trying to add a deep moral dimension to upcom.

Metro added that the final decision to wear this jersey was made based on a clear and direct request from the technical staff of the Argentina national team, led by coach Lionel Scaloni, who is convinced that remembering historical symbols and past victories can give his players an extra morale boost before playing the crucial match that will decide the identity of one of the World Cup qualifiers in the 2nd final.

This escalating controversy over the color of the jersey comes as the two teams prepare to take part in one of the most exciting and sensitive clashes in the history of world football, especially as the collective memory of both nations is still loaded with memories of previous confrontations, be it sporting or even political.