On June 22, 1986, Argentina faced England at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, in a quarter-final duel. Diego Armando Maradona forged his legend in that game with two of the most memorable goals in history: “hand of God” and another described as the “goal of the century” for the way Maradona eluded an entire English defense from half court.

The game felt not only like revenge for Argentina for the defeat at the Falklands, but revenge for the people of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

“It’s because of Maradona and the goals he scored against England in the 1986 World Cup. A lot of people, rejecting British colonialism and stories of the little guys winning over the big guys, went crazy with Argentina. Since then, people have been their fans.” British-Bengali journalist Misha told the newspaper Confidential.

The Argentina national team craze is not limited to Bangladesh, as it also has significant support in India, Nepal and Pakistan.

“Many of us grew up hearing about Diego Maradona. We fell in love with him. He was an idol for all of us who supported the Argentine national team and his death shocked everyone. I hope the team can now lift a trophy, it will be the biggest honor for Diego,” Mohammed Suhail Ali, co-founder of Argentina Fans Qatar, told AFP news agency, an international brigade supporting albiceleste, composed mainly of Indians living in Qatar.

Teams from India or Bangladesh have never played in a World Cup. Although football is quite popular in these countries, the real national sport is cricket.