Will Argentina be world champion?

Without a doubt, Argentina (also known as the Albiceleste) has stood out in the world of soccer in the last decade. The team famous for their star player Lionel Scaloni, who traveled to Qatar to play for his home country in the World Cup, is currently undefeated. They get better and better with each game that they play.

Argentina has played in 18 World Cups and this will be its sixth time making it to the finals. It was the first runner-up in the 1930 World Cup, losing to the home team, Uruguay. It took 48 years for Argentina to return to glory. In 1978, at home, they beat the Netherlands 2-1 with Mario Alberto Kempes as their star player.

Eight years later, in 1986 in Mexico, Argentina took home its second World Cup victory with Diego Armando Maradona (and one of his goals so controversial that, to this day, many consider it a handball) defeating the German national team. The Albiceleste returned to the final four years later, in Italy, and Maradona was still at the top of his game, competing in the finals against Germany, but that time Argentina's opponents took the victory.

Now, winning the World Cup is in Argentina's hands and could very well happen on Sunday against their opponents in the final. Lionel Messi would be crowned one of the greatest footballers of all time (not that he isn't already) but winning the World Cup would be the icing on the cake. He could even emulate Maradona and Kempes as the Argentine captains who lifted the World Cup in Argentina 1978 and Mexico 1986, and go down in history with King Pelé.

1986: Argentina's last World Cup victory

When Argentina won its last World Cup in 1986, the world was totally different from what we know today. Technology had not yet reached the field, the cleats or the ball. That same technology has made VAR possible and the rules of soccer have evolved. Everything from the weight and configuration of the ball has been adapted so that athletes can perform at their very best.

Today's soccer stars had either not been born yet or were very young: Cristiano Ronaldo was one year old, while Lionel Messi had yet to enter the world, not to mention the extraordinary Kylian Mbappé.

Not only that, but it was a tremendous year for the world of sports. For example, in the United States, the NBA legend Michael Jordan was at his peak while playing his second season with the Chicago Bulls.

Steaua Bucharest beat Barcelona in The European Cup, now known as the Champions League. In Mexican sports, besides hosting the World Cup, the country was making history. It had players finding great success at an international level such as Hugo Sánchez for Real Madrid; Fernando Valenzuela for the Dodgers in the MLB; and Julio César Chávez went undefeated in more than 50 fights.

Will history repeat itself and Argentina win its third World Cup or will it once again become runner-up in the top international soccer event? We will have to wait until Sunday to see what happens. In this sport that so many of us love, anything goes. If we have learned anything in this World Cup, it is that those we thought were invincible were defeated and those we thought were weak have given us unimaginable surprises.