The blue shirt that toppled England in 1986 is back for the semifinal — and Argentina believes in the omen
The AFA asked FIFA to play in dark blue against England — the same colour worn in 1986, when Maradona scored two historic goals.
Superstition doesn't keep office hours — but Argentina decided not to tempt fate. The AFA asked FIFA for permission to face England in dark blue for the World Cup semifinal, setting aside the traditional light-blue-and-white stripes. The request arrived less than 48 hours before kick-off and, according to Spanish newspaper As, was approved by the governing body.
The reason? A memory no Argentine ever forgets. In the 1986 quarterfinals, wearing exactly that colour, Argentina beat England 2–1 thanks to Diego Maradona's two historic goals — the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century. Ever since, the blue shirt has been a lucky charm.
England, considered the home side for the fixture, will wear white. Argentina will wear blue. Coincidence or ritual, the stage is already set.
Felipe Melo, who knows all too well the weight of this kind of clash, threw fuel on the fire: "For the good of football, I wanted an Argentina vs England," the former midfielder said.
In the other semifinal, France and Spain also had their kits determined by FIFA. The French play in blue; the Spanish in white with burgundy details. The first semifinal is this Tuesday at 4 p.m. (Brasília time) in Dallas. England and Argentina meet on Wednesday at the same time in Atlanta. The winners face each other for the title on Sunday.
The Golmetria model sees Spain as the favourite to lift the trophy, with a 35.13% chance — well ahead of Argentina at 23.61%. In the market, Argentina are the long shots of the group: odds of +1000 against Spain's +420.
The shirt may not decide anything. But for anyone who grew up hearing stories about Maradona, pulling on the blue is already half the battle. Wednesday will tell us whether the lucky charm still works.