Argentina heads into World Cup with hopes of gaining its third crown

Nov 24th, 2001

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) Diego Maradona led Argentina to its second World Cup title 15 years ago.

Now, he thinks his countrymen are ready to win it again.

"This is the best team in the world right now. There is no side that is playing better than Argentina. We just have to maintain that level," he said during the buildup to next week's draw.

Maradona isn't the only former soccer great who thinks Argentina can add a third World Cup title to its record.

Pele, who won the World Cup three times with Brazil, and Frenchman Michel Platini agree that Argentina, along with defending champion France, will be the team to beat next summer in South Korea and Japan.

Even British bookmakers made Argentina 7-2 favorites, ahead of France (4-1), Brazil (7-1) and Italy (7-1).

Marcelo Bielsa's squad goes into the World Cup after a highly successful qualifying campaign that left it sitting atop the 10-team South American group.

Lethal in the penalty area, creative yet dynamic in midfield and steely at the back, Bielsa has knitted together an attractive, attacking side that is unbeaten in 16 months.

In midfield, Juan Sebastian Veron has proven himself the one indispensable piece to the Argentina puzzle. The powerful yet elegant Manchester United midfielder was Argentina's top player in all but a handful of games.

And Hernan Crespo of Italian side Lazio was joint top scorer in the qualifying tournament with nine goals despite starting only 10 games. He has even ousted AS Roma striker Gabriel Batistuta from the starting lineup at least for now.

In defense, Batistuta's Serie A teammate, Walter Samuel, was key to a backline that gave away just 15 goals in qualifying. Samuel was voted the top foreign player in Italy last season.

And the talent doesn't end there.

German Burgos is a steady 'keeper, a good shot blocker and safe on crosses; defenders Nelson Vivas, Roberto Ayala and Roberto Sensini add experience and grit to the defense; midfielders Javier Zanetti and Juan Pablo Sorin have been superb up and down the flanks; and skipper Diego Simeone, in doubt for the World Cup after tearing his knee ligaments in September, added his usual bite and drive in midfield.

Matias Almeyda, Marcelo Gallardo and Pablo Aimar have all contributed when needed.

Batistuta, Argentina's biggest star, has had a nagging knee injury that has kept him out the squad for a year, but "Batigol" still managed five goals in his five qualifying matches.

And if Bielsa needs to bolster his squad, he can call on Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme or FC Barcelona striker Javier Saviola.

Some commentators feel Argentina may have the strongest side it has ever sent to a World Cup. But doubters do exist.

Batistuta and Simeone are the only proven winners on the squad having won the Copa America in 1993.

None of the many European-based players have won the European Champions Cup, while only a handful of the squad have lifted South America's top club competition, the Copa Libertadores.

Others argue that Argentina's qualifying run was outstanding only because the opposition was weak.

Brazil had its worst campaign ever, losing six matches and only qualifying on the last day, Paraguay is not the team it was just three years ago, Uruguay has struggled to stay alive and Colombia the current Copa America champion was eliminated.

In the 1998 World Cup in France, Argentina lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. In 1994, Romania knocked the South Americans out in the last 16.

Argentina's World Cup victories came in 1978 and 1986. It also reached the final in 1930 and 1990 and has won a record 14 Copa Americas.