During the World Cup final against Spain, Sunday July 19, Argentina will have to do without one of its most fervent supporters: Javier Milei. But if the seat of the ultra-liberal Argentine president will remain empty, it is neither because of a busy presidential schedule nor personal obligations. The head of state decided not to go to the stadium… out of superstition.
Passionate about football, Javier Milei will follow the match, but from the cinema room of his residence. He will also wear the same jacket from the YPF oil company that he wore during the quarter-final, convinced that it helped the Albiceleste win the match against Switzerland.
In many teams, superstition dictates the behavior or habits of certain footballers. But in Argentina, these little rituals, called “cábalas”, occupy a particularly important place in football culture. Players, coaches and fans often cultivate one, or even several, in the hope of influencing the fate of a match. Always wearing the same socks, entering the pitch with the same foot, watching a match from the same place or making the sign of the cross before kick-off: so many repeated gestures which, for many, are as important as playing tactics on the pitch.
Cultural mix
This culture of superstition is deeply rooted in Argentine society. It is the result of a cultural mix that has been built over the centuries and whose origins date back to the indigenous peoples of South America. For these populations, chance did not really exist: crops, the weather or even the outcome of a war depended on invisible forces such as spirits and divinities. Before a battle or hunt, it was common to recite ritual words or wear a protective object in order to influence fate.
From the 16th century, the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors turned this world upside down. The settlers brought Catholicism and a whole heritage of medieval European beliefs, such as witches, relics, protective saints or the evil eye. Catholicism gradually mixed with pre-Columbian beliefs, giving rise to what anthropologists call religious syncretism. Thus, some Argentines continue to honor Pachamama, the goddess associated with fertility and abundance, while the Virgin Mary becomes the protective figure of motherhood and the family.
Added to this meeting between traditions and Catholicism, from the 17th century, was the influence of millions of Africans deported during the Atlantic slave trade. They introduced their own spiritual practices, based on ancestor worship, protective amulets, objects invested with particular power and rituals intended to ward off harmful forces. Here again, these beliefs enrich South American religious folklore.
This crossbreeding is still visible today in many popular traditions. The legend of Gauchito Gil, who became a popular saint after being executed in the 19th century, embodies these multiple legacies. Every year, thousands of Argentines come to ask Gil for protection or to make offerings to him, although he is not recognized by the Vatican and more than 85% of the Argentine population declares themselves Catholic. Often represented with a cross on his back, he embodies the mixture between the Christian figure of the martyr and ancient beliefs around the protective dead.
This way of living the faith is also found on the football fields, in a country where, from Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi, the football occupies an almost sacred place. Superstitions therefore have a special place, even in the choice of jerseys worn by the national team.
On Wednesday July 15, the Albiceleste players won the semi-final against England with their dark blue away jersey, an outfit considered a cábala for many supporters against the British. It was with this same jersey that Argentina had already eliminated the British team during the 1986 and 1998 World Cups. Conversely, when the Argentines wore their famous blue and white striped jersey against England in 1966 and 2002, they lost.
Argentina fans also enthusiastically welcomed Fifa’s decision to have the team play in its traditional blue and white jersey for Sunday’s final. It is in this outfit that Argentina won its three world championship titles in 1978, 1986 and 2022. During the finals against Germany in 1990 and 2014, the Argentine team, dressed in its dark blue jersey, let the title slip away.
