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What happened to the 1982 World Cup winners?
44 years ago, Argentina, with Diego Maradona and the stars of 1978, went to the 1982 World Cup with the title of world champion and an early exit from the second round. Today, as the 2026 World Cup approaches in America, Canada and Mexico, the specter of that fall rears its head again, this time on the lips of one of the makers of 1978 glory.
Former star Daniel Bertone has warned in an interview with Agence France-Presse that Argentina’s chances of defending their title could be hit if coach Lionel Scalloni relies too much on the players who were crowned in Qatar four years ago.
Lionel Messi, the inspirational leader of the Argentina national team, is expected to be present in the Argentina squad along with 16 other players from the 2022 squad.
“I think Argentina is a candidate given our record of 6 finals and 3 wins,” but he added with a warning. “If we think we’re going to be champions again because of our name and what we’ve achieved before, that’s a mistake.”
He added: “What could really kill Argentina is coach Scaloni’s over-reliance on the players who won the title four years ago.”
Bertone, who scored in Argentina’s 3-1 win over the Netherlands in the 1978 final in Buenos Aires, was part of the 1982 squad that crashed out of the tournament despite including Maradona.
As for Messi, who was re-elected as captain in the hope that he will recover from a hamstring injury that forced him off the field in Inter Miami’s game against Philadelphia last Sunday, Bertone said:
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He continued. “He is no longer playing at the highest level at club level and he will miss Angel Di Maria, who was a decisive element after Messi at the 2022 World Cup.”
Bertone, who played professionally at Sevilla and Naples after 1978, drew on his personal experience to talk about the pressure of defending the title;
“In the 1982 World Cup, we thought that because we were world champions, we could win again with Diego Maradona and other new players, but it’s always difficult because everyone wants to win.”
