One of the commonly agreed upon rules among football fans is that watching any match featuring Argentina or Brazil is a guarantee of exhilarating football, which is characteristic of Latin American teams. Amidst a climate of anticipation and anxiety, fans await the "Maracanã Clash," set to bring Brazil and Argentina together in the "Copa América 2021" final, scheduled for next Sunday. The Brazilian team, known as the "Samba Dancers," topped their group with 10 points, achieving three victories and one draw in the group stage. Similarly, the Argentine team also led their group with the same point total.
In the knockout stage, Brazil defeated Chile in the quarter-finals with a score of 1-0 and secured a place in the final after winning against Peru in the semi-finals, also by a score of 1-0, amidst hopes from the Brazilian fans for a consecutive continental title. On the other side, the Argentine team claimed a significant victory against Ecuador with a clean sweep of 3-0 in the quarter-finals and won against Colombia via penalty shootouts in the semi-finals after the original time ended in a 1-1 draw.
### A Historical Rivalry
From their first encounter in 1914, which ended with Argentina winning 3-0, the players from Brazil and Argentina have been significantly influenced by the political and cultural conflicts between the two nations during the Portuguese and Spanish colonial periods in Latin America. Even after the countries gained independence, a new struggle emerged for dominance on the continent, accompanied by cultural differences. This conflict officially transferred to football pitches in 1920.
In 1920, fans witnessed a friendly match between Brazil and Argentina, but four players from the "Samba Dancers" refused to take the field after an Argentine newspaper referred to the Brazilians as "little monkeys" (macakitos). The Argentine team tried to navigate the crisis by fielding only eight players, resulting in a 3-0 victory for Argentina.
In the 1937 South American Championship, the two teams met in the finals, where a "war of chants" transpired between the fans, with Argentine supporters mocking the Brazilians by shouting the term "macakitos," mimicking monkey sounds. The match ended goalless after regulation time, but Argentina went ahead with two goals in extra time, leading Brazil to withdraw from the match, which the Brazilian press labeled as the "match of shame."
Among the players, there has been a fierce rivalry over who is the "greatest player in history," with Brazilian fans favoring Pelé and Argentine fans advocating for their legend, Diego Maradona. The rivalry intensified in 2000 when FIFA conducted an online poll for "Player of the Century," in which Maradona received 53% of the votes, while Pelé garnered only 18%.
Before the award ceremony, FIFA added a second award by appointing a committee called the "Football Family," which granted Pelé another title as Best Player of the Century. This action drew widespread criticism, especially from Argentina, which viewed the award as a tribute to Pelé for his consistent support of FIFA in contrast to Maradona's frequent critiques. Maradona left the ceremony immediately after receiving his award, before Pelé’s was presented.
In another vote in 2002, Maradona received another FIFA award when one of his goals was selected as the Goal of the Century in the World Cup, while one of Pelé's goals ranked third, and another goal from Maradona ranked fourth.
As a result of these incidents, along with other events, matches between the two teams have developed a high level of competitiveness, where losing means players will face a wave of fan anger that is difficult to withstand.
### Statistics Overview
The two teams have faced each other in 105 matches, with Brazil winning 44 of them, scoring 167 goals against Argentina. Meanwhile, the "Tango Dancers" have won 39 matches, netting 176 goals against Brazil, while 22 matches have ended in a draw.
Football legend Pelé leads the scoring chart in these encounters with 8 goals, while Brazilian Ronaldo de Lima and Argentine Lionel Messi share the second position with 5 goals each.
In the "Copa América," Brazil has faced Argentina in 33 matches, with Brazil securing 10 victories, Argentina winning 15, and 8 matches ending in a draw.
Regarding the finals of the South American competition, the two teams have met three times in 1937, 2004, and 2007. Brazil won the title against Argentina twice in a row, while Argentina claimed the "Copa América" in 1937 against Brazil. Argentina ranks second for the most Copa América titles with 14, just one title away from matching Uruguay’s record, while Brazil stands third with 9 titles.
