Argentina 1978

“When they hand you the cup you have no sensations. It's like a permanent orgasm. I say it crudely, but it's the truth. It's something you have to live to be able to explain it.”

“Daniel didn't want to give the Cup to anyone. I never got to touch it even once. True to his style as a player, elbows up high, he wouldn't let anyone touch the Cup.”

“As soon as I stepped out, the rain of confetti and streamers moved me. I had never seen anything like it, and I never saw it again.”

“Before extra time, El Flaco grabbed us and said: 'Look at you, arguing, talking, gesturing. Look at them: lying on the grass, getting massages. That's the difference. You're going to win it.' And so it was.”

“After the equaliser we went looking for the win and almost ended up with nothing. Because the truth is we were ten seconds and thirteen centimetres away from going down in the black history of Argentine football.”

“A few seconds after the match ended, I fell to the ground almost fainting. I stayed kneeling on the grass, arms crossed, as if hugging myself. I began to thank God and had the most powerful experience of my life, above any footballing achievement.”

“And after Passarella, I was the first to kiss the World Cup, you can see it clearly on the video. Another unforgettable memory.”

“For me, this is one of the happiest moments of my life, which football keeps giving me; let me tell you, last night I couldn't sleep.”

“I was used, of course. Nobody could have imagined that people were being thrown into the ocean.”

“The Argentine footballer has a DNA, a genetic make-up, a school, respected all over the world.”