91 year old Argentine journalist covering 18th World Cup

Enrique Macaya Marquez

It seems everyone wants a photograph with Enrique Macaya Marquez.

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni certainly does - stopping to pose for a picture with the broadcaster after his news conference before the World Cup group-stage match with Jordan.

Macaya - as he is known - has quite the story. In a career spanning almost seven decades, the 91-year-old has covered an unprecedented 18 consecutive World Cups.

His first one was in 1958 - featuring a 17-year-old prodigy named Pele.

Macaya was 24 when he was sent to Sweden for that tournament.

One of his first assignments was to see Pele’s Brazil take on Austria, but his first memory is of what came to be known as the ‘Disaster of Sweden’ - Argentina’s 6-1 defeat by Czechoslovakia.

“It remains etched in my memory as a tremendous thrashing for the Argentine national football team,” he says.

“We knew almost nothing about Czechoslovakia. We had no information, no data, and they surprised us.”

Nearly seven decades on, Macaya has seen football transform beyond recognition.

He has reported on Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and countless more great players.

Television has become digital, statistics have become instantaneous, and World Cups have expanded into global spectacles.

Yet one thing has remained unchanged: Macaya refuses to rush to judgement

That philosophy shaped his view when Scaloni was unexpectedly appointed Argentina manager in 2018.

“I didn’t have high hopes,” says Macaya, who is a commentator on DSPORTS Radio. “I didn’t know him.”

Scaloni has since led Argentina to Copa America, Finalissima and World Cup glory, turning what many saw as one of football’s biggest gambles into one of its greatest success stories.

Macaya says watching those unfold reinforced something he has believed throughout his career.

“You can’t pass judgement without a much deeper, more complete understanding of the person being judged,” he says. 

(BBC sports)