In 2014, on the eve of the World Cup final between Argentina and Germany at the Maracanã, thousands of Brazilian fans gathered outside Argentina’s team hotel in Rio de Janeiro.
Their mission was simple — disturb the mental peace of their bitter rivals ahead of the biggest match of their lives.
Just days after seeing Brazil slump to a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semifinals, their supporters dreaded the prospect of watching Argentina lift the famous World Cup trophy on their soil.
Angel Di Maria, the dazzling Argentine winger, recalled that sleepless night in an essay for The Players’ Tribune.
“The Brazilian fans were setting off huge fireworks outside of our hotel all night long,” the former Real Madrid winger wrote.
Di Maria’s account captures the raw intensity of the greatest rivalry in international football.
While the bad blood between Brazil and Argentina has never spilt beyond the boundaries of football, it creates a war-like atmosphere every time the two countries clash on the field.
Even friendly matches between the two giants of South American football can plunge into chaos, brawls and a flurry of red cards — all in the space of 90 minutes.
In that famous round of 16 match between the two teams at the 1990 World Cup, Brazil defender Branco alleged that Argentina’s physio Miguel di Lorenzo offered him a drink spiked with tranquillisers during an injury break.
Completely unaware of what was mixed with the water, Branco took a sip from the bottle and then felt dizzy on the field, unable to make his powerful runs.
Moments later, Diego Maradona launched a mazy run, beating several Brazilian defenders, including Branco, to set up Claudio Caniggia for Argentina’s match-winning goal against the run of play.
It was a match in which Brazil outplayed Argentina, completely dominating possession, and one moment of genius from Maradona knocked the Brazilians out of the tournament.
While Branco went on record, Argentinian football authorities dismissed his claims as baseless.
Now, more than 36 years later, this storied rivalry took another turn.
This time it was not a football field. But this new chapter revolves around the iconic Rocky statue in Philadelphia.
Rocky Balboa, the fictional boxer and the protagonist of the Rocky franchise, famously played by Sylvester Stallone, has remained one of the most enduring underdog stories in American pop culture.
The statue in the heart of Philadelphia is also an American cultural symbol, drawing thousands of Rocky fans every year, as they pump their fists and strike a pose next to the statue.
It has also become a big attraction for fans in the ongoing football World Cup.
But the statue hit headlines again after a Brazilian fan draped in the famous yellow colours climbed onto the statue and placed Lionel Messi’s Argentina shirt.
It may seem strange for a Brazilian fan to place an Argentina shirt on the Rocky statue, but those who know the sports fan culture in the US understood what the Brazilian fan was up to.
It is a belief among sports fans in America that you can jinx your rival team by placing their shirt on the Rocky statue.
As the fan climbed up amid cheers, the irony was not lost on anyone who had followed the intense rivalry between Brazil and Argentina.
Brazil are the five-time world champions, but the last of their titles came in 2002.
A generation of Brazilians has yet to experience what it feels like to be a World champion.
The Messi-inspired Argentina, on the other hand, are hoping to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to defend the World Cup title.
The stakes could not have been higher.
Rocky Balboa lives in the hearts of movie buffs for his defiance, emerging from the streets to become the world heavyweight champion.
But the statue built in his honour has ironically become a symbol of sporting superstitions.
Now has that Brazilian fan jinxed Argentina?
We don’t yet know, but what we do know is that this fan has just added another fascinating chapter in the history of this rivalry.
Source: Khaleej Times