After all these years, they are still the Argentines most associated with England.
Ossie Ardiles liked our country so much, he made his home here, settling in Hertfordshire, just north of London.
Ricky Villa came, made an indelible impression on our football life with one of the great FA Cup final goals, and is now settled on his farm, deep in the Argentinian pampas, in Roque Perez, 80 miles south-west of Buenos Aires.
Ricky Villa (L) and Ossie Ardiles (R) have left a lasting impression on English football
The duo spent their both their domestic and international careers side-by-side on the pitch
They could not be much further apart but are forever bound, not just in our memories but as lifetime friends.
They were room-mates when they won the World Cup with Argentina in 1978 and remain compadres to this day, Villa staying with Ardiles when he makes his annual visit to the UK to catch up with old friends.
But today there is something else on their minds beyond Tottenham, the FA Cup final, 1981 and all that.
Ardiles is preparing to invite old team-mates Glenn Hoddle, John Lacey, Mark Falco and others to watch the World Cup final tomorrow. Ricky will host family and friends with a barbeque, or asado. The meat will be provided by his cows from his own farm.
Ardiles is preparing to invite old team-mates Glenn Hoddle and others to watch the final
On our video call, the beard may be a bit greyer and the hair a little thinner, but the pair are in other respects unchanged. Ardiles is showing Villa the snow outside his house and Villa is complaining it is too hot in Roque Perez.
The kinship of 45 years of friendship runs deep. ‘He can’t play football and he can’t f****** use a camera,’ says Ardiles, as Villa tries to adjust his computer for a screen shot. Villa just laughs at his friend.
They were in the team who won the World Cup in 1978 when Argentina hosted. Another Argentina team, eight years later and led by Diego Maradona, would win it again. And then, nothing. For 36 years, not even the presence of the greatest player on the planet has helped Argentina triumph.
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Now the chance comes around again and Villa and Ardiles discuss what it would mean, how Lionel Messi compares to Maradona and the pressure of winning the World Cup.
Both Villa (pictured) and Ardiles were part of Argentina’s World Cup winning squad in 1978
ROB DRAPER: Ossie, Ricky, can you explain what it will be like in your country if Argentina win the World Cup?
OSSIE ARDILES: The answer is simple and I would put it to you like this — what would it mean for England to win the World Cup? It’s the same. It is so big, so huge, it’s difficult to describe.
Like in England, everybody is waiting for this. It’s a unique thing that happens in your life. There’s not a single person not watching this game.
RICKY VILLA: Winning the World Cup is the ultimate honour, completely distinct from all others, that gives paralleled joy.
Sometimes I look back after all these years and reflect on the fact that we had the good fortune to be world champions. It’s an honour that goes down in history. People always remember.
The duo insist that a World Cup victory for Argentina would be the ‘ultimate honour’
If this team could do it, it would mean immense joy for the nation. It’s difficult to describe. Maybe some people have a critical image of our country, but this would just bring so much joy.
Where I live, it’s not a very big place, less than 1000 inhabitants and about 100km from Buenos Aires. But everyone is waiting for the game and football here is a unique passion.
Of course football is also a passion in England but it’s something else again here, a total euphoria when the national team wins, something very rare.
DRAPER: Lionel Messi has been the star of this World Cup but he’s always had to live with the comparison with Diego Maradona, who you both played with and who won the World Cup in 1986. If he wins this, he’ll be Maradona’s equal?
ARDILES: We are a little bit biased, because we played with Diego and when you play with him it makes it special. They are incredibly similar, both left-footed, both No 10s, creators, scoring goals. But the thing I would say is that when Maradona played, it was more difficult to be a creator than it is right now.
Lionel Messi has been one of the standout players throughout the Qatar World Cup
I can’t think of a single bad foul on Messi in this World Cup. With Maradona, he was a marked man. Back then, there were all these things that don’t happen now.
VILLA: I don’t want to compare but my personal opinion is that Diego was better. There has been a mountain of words written about this and they’re both superb players but for me Diego was unique.
DRAPER: Maradona trained with you when he was 17 and you were preparing for the 1978 World Cup, but when did you first become aware of him?
ARDILES: When we played for the national team in 1975, they had this kid doing keep-ups and juggling as a warm-up. We would watch him and say: ‘This is incredible! How can he do that?’
We were the national team and we would stop and watch him. That was Diego. Then in 1977, he was around 16, he started training with us. We were about to become world champions but he was already at our level. He was absolutely fantastic.
Diego Maradona stands with the World Cup trophy after Argentina’s triumph in 1986
Then, before the World Cup we had a squad of 25 to prepare in a training camp. But only 22 would make the squad. He was so, so good, with unbelievable maturity.
Our coach Cesar Menotti said: ‘Look, I’m going to say the names of the 22 selected players and then you will know the three who haven’t made it. I’m not going to give any explanations. I will just say it.’
The other two guys were more expected to miss out but the main one was Diego.
Of course he took it very badly and has always said it was his biggest disappointment in football. He never forgot about this. We all came to him and said: ‘Look Diego, you’re very young, you will have more opportunities, don’t worry.’ But he was inconsolable. He had his revenge in 1986 though!
VILLA: Diego was very young and it was a huge responsibility in 1978 (at a home tournament) for someone so young. No one was really questioning Menotti’s decision. It was simply about Diego’s youth. It was a day of huge sadness for Diego. But he would win the World Youth Cup in 1979 and in 1986 — well, to my mind he didn’t win that alone, but he showed all his amazing qualities and football potential and was, of course, the big difference to elevate this team to become world champions.
Messi (L) and Maradona have both made a lasting impression on Argentinian football
DRAPER: What about this feeling in Argentina that Messi played better for Barcelona than for the national team? Did that change when he won his first trophy last year for Argentina, the Copa America?
VILLA: When Leo was able to win his first trophy for the national team at La Copa last year, this changed things.
The big difference for Leo was he never played in Argentina (he left for Barcelona when he was 13). So, it’s not like he has his fan club here, like if he’d played for Boca Juniors or River Plate. Then he’d have had a section of the public always in his favour.
There were some silly things said about him before when he was playing for the national team, but now, no. It has changed completely after winning the Copa in Brazil.
That began this new feeling for Leo and now it’s felt through the whole country.
Villa insists that things changed for the better after Messi won his first international trophy
He’s in the best moment of his career, this is his last World Cup but if he doesn’t win it there will always be something missing.
DRAPER: What about this team? How do they compare to your team?
VILLA: It’s difficult to compare! Football has changed so much.
ARDILES: This team and the team of Maradona from 1986, they don’t have an Ardiles in midfield!
VILLA: Football is very different, the rules are different. It was very difficult to play back then. It’s easier today.
You can make 20 passes just to go a few metres forward. This possession football bores me! I believes it’s inferior football. Our team was very different.
Lionel Messi will be hoping to win the World Cup for the first time in his career on Sunday
DRAPER: And what are you thinking will happen in the final?
VILLA: It is a unique football moment for any team. I haven’t had a great impression of the football at his World Cup.
In my opinion, it was a World Cup without great technical quality, without many great players, but it’s the World Cup and it’s the football of today.
I think the best teams are in the finals. France have a very good team, they’re world champions but the big difference is Messi.
I think Argentina are better going forward, France a little more cautious and I’m optimistic for Argentina.
France and their star player Kylian Mbappe will be hoping to upset Villa and Ardiles on Sunday
DRAPER: And how will you be watching the final?
VILLA: I’m organising an asado for the family. Right now, in Argentina, no one is thinking of anything other than the game.
In my village, that’s all we’re talking about. Everyone is living for this game.
The game kicks off at 12 o’clock in Argentina so I don’t know whether we’ll be having it before or after the game. But we’ll be having a barbeque for sure.
ARDILES: I will be here watching the game quietly at home with the Tottenham boys, Glenn Hoddle, John Lacey and Mark Falco.
And then celebrate of course when the game finishes!