Argentina won the 2022 men’s World Cup title in dramatic fashion on Sunday as Lionel Messi & Co. beat France in penalty kicks after the game finished level at 3–3.
Telemundo’s Andrés Cantor was on the call during Sunday’s final, and the Buenos Aires native couldn’t hold back his emotions in his now-viral call of the final penalty.
After Cantor’s famous, drawn-out “gol!” shout, the Argentine announcer began crying while saying that Argentina is the “world champion.”
“GOOOOOOAL, Argentina is the champion,” Cantor said, translated to English. “Argentina is the world champion. ARGENTINA IS THE WORLD CHAMPION! ARGENTINA IS THE WORLD CHAMPION! ARGENTINA IS THE WORLD CHAMPION! Argentina! Is the world champion! From the sky they did it. You guys did it, players. They won the sky. Argentina is the world champion. Messi is the world champion. It couldn't be any other way. Argentina. Lionel Scaloni's Argentine selection is the world champion. Argentina. Argentina is the world champion. ... 36 years, waiting ... Argentina, Argentina is the world champion.”
Here’s the video of the full call after Argentina won the World Cup title.
It was the first time in decades that Argentina had taken home the sport’s most prized trophy. The last time Argentina was the world champion was in 1986. The 2022 victory marks the country’s third World Cup title in its history, and it’s the end of an emotional and historic run that comes just two years after the death of legendary player Diego Maradona.
Messi, who said before Qatar that it would be his final World Cup, finishes out a storied career at the tournament by taking home the trophy. He broke the record for most World Cup appearances with 26 on Sunday.
