World Cup 2026: Meet the 91-year-old Argentine journalist covering his 18th World Cup

Argentina are once again through to the World Cup semi-finals and prepare to face old foes England in a match you can watch live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

Macaya believes Argentina have every chance to repeat their success from 2022 onwards.

“Of course they can,” he says. “If we talk about what is possible, about the future, I believe Argentina is capable of winning.”

And perhaps no surprise when asked to name his favorite Argentinian player. “Obviously, it’s Messi,” he says.

But when the inevitable question comes – who is the greatest of all time? – Certainty disappears.

“This question deserves a laugh,” he says. “There is no way to measure players throughout history.

“Times have changed. Opponents have changed. Every player is unique. I can say who I personally like, but that doesn’t mean I believe that player is the best in history.”

It’s a response that helps explain why Makaya has been revered for so long. Rather than definitive rankings, he prefers nuance.

The same applies when he discusses Messi and another brilliant Argentine number 10 – Diego Maradona

“It’s very difficult to make cold comparisons,” he says.

“The opponents were different. The demands were different. The support from their teammates was different. Everyone had their own life and their own history.”

And when asked to compare Pele’s Brazil in 1970 with Maradona’s Argentina in 1986, he gave the same answer.

“There’s no way to compare them,” he says. “The style is completely different.”