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An update from Evaneos
Argentina

World famous Argentinians

Winning titles, reaching hero status or even becoming living gods, several Argentinian celebrities are worshipped across the land , if not the continent or world! You don't need to take a trip to Argentina to hear the names Che Guevara, Maradona, Messi, Fangio or Pope Francis.

Artists and politicians

As far as Argentinian literature goes, Jorge Luis Borges is the most illustrious. A prolific writer, his works include Fictions, The Book of Sand and the classic The Aleph. The latter was a global bestseller.

Quino is a famous cartoonist, known for his Mafalda comic strip. He used his central character to express his objections towards capitalism and religious issues.

The most famous performing artist is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest tango singer of them all. If the name Charles Romuald Gardès doesn't ring a bell, you may recognise his stage name 'Carlos Gardel'. No one knows where he was born. His birth was registered in Toulouse, France, but some believe he was actually born in Uruguay... No-one's really sure! Despite being killed in a plane crash at only 44 years old, his legend lives on.

A hero of his time, icon of the battle against oppression, Ernesto Guevara, or 'Che', remains an idol whose face is still plastered across the world. His image is often used for marketing purposes, be it on posters or T-shirts that are sold on every continent.

The best known female political figure is Eva Perón. She devoted her life to helping her husband, Juan Perón, realise his political ambitions and her name has gone down in Argentinian history. She was a feminist who also defended the poor and oppressed. Her life was cut short when she died of leukaemia at only 30 years old.

Eva Perón on a building in Buenos Aires

Sporting and religious heros

Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the F1 championship five times, was king of the race track. The saying 'You think you're Fangio' is still uttered today.

With 87 victories out of 100 fights, Carlos Monzón won 14 World Championships to become a boxing legend.

And then, of course, there's the 'Hand of God' - Maradona, the world class footballer whose goal 'kicked' England out of the 1986 World Cup. Best player of his generation, he was also rocked by scandal. Worshipped by footy fans all over the world, some Argentinians gave him a God-like status, often saying prayers to their 'Pibe de Oro' who's become a living deity in Argentina.

Today Lionel Messi has inherited his crown. Having won several titles with FC Barcelona as well as 4 Golden Foot awards, his goal scoring is legendary. Who knows, maybe one day fans will be also be praying at his feet. Let's just hope that a religious war between Maradona and Messi fans never breaks out!

And what does Pope Francis think of all this? Not least because he's a self-declared football fan. Born in Buenos Aires, he became the city's Archbishop, before being elected Pope in 2013, thus becoming head of the Catholic Church. 

David Debrincat
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