Players playing (not talking) their best on the biggest platform - "Best World Cup Ever" "Best final game in any sport ever?"

Economist (British publication) headline (penalties, lesson for Argentina politicians) - typical backhanded compliment from the British. Brits disliked for more reasons than the Falklands in Argentina. Know enough to avoid.

Impact to my company - when I merged my company, CUO, with CableData in Sacramento, their international headquarters was in London (Farnborough), England. Company president Mike McGrail moved to Sacramento in 1995, when he was named president and general manager of the 30-year-old CableData division of U.S. Computer Service after serving as chief of the CableData's international billing division in London.  I traveled to both places numerous times, after acquisition in 1994.

Was this the best soccer game ever? Or maybe even the best game in any sport humans play?

Over past 25 years I have become a great fan of Argentina soccer, and its stars. To quote Vince Lombardi, winning the World Cup is the only thing. Great pressure!

Even dressing as Diego Maradona for Rock Steady Boxing Halloween event.

Maradona captained the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, winning the final in Mexico City against West Germany.[75] Throughout the tournament, Maradona asserted his dominance and was the most dynamic player of the competition. He played every minute of every Argentina game, scoring five goals and making five assists.

A controversial figure in the sport, while he earned critical acclaim from players, pundits, and managers over his playing style, he also drew criticism in the media for his temper and confrontational behaviour, both on and off the pitch.

"We shouldn't deify Messi any longer," Maradona said in 2018. "He's a great player but he's not a leader. It's useless trying to make a leader out of a man who goes to the toilet 20 times before a game."

Maradona died in 2020, controversial to his untimely demise at 60 years old.

I've made several business trips to Argentina, developed several lifetime relationships, and now enjoying with them their World Cup win.

Sid Shreeve called me after the win. He was very pleased that Messi was now getting his due credit. Something Maradona and followers had prevented until Messi won the Cup.

Some of my reflections. Knowledge and support of soccer (and tango) very important. If you plan to be successful in BA.

Argentine Culture

The Plaza Hotel which I frequented in my 30 visits to Buenos Aires had a who's who of famous guests (see Wikipedia famous guests) -- from Kings to Presidents to astronauts - Louis Armstrong, Neil Armstrong, Charles De Gaulle, Indira Gandhi, Charlton Heston, Jacques Cousteau, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jonas Salk, Rock Hudson, Juan Carlos I of Spain and Queen Sofía of Spain, Aristotle Onassis, Theodore Roosevelt, and Bob Dylan. Hotel service was exquisite, and conveniently located in the heart of Buenos Aires just steps from Calle Florida shopping area and overlooking the Plaza San Martin.

Doorman (great friend) was expert on Argentine tango, and taught Madonna when she was making Evita. Tango shows and bars are aplenty for the novice and professionals. Later I have a story about the US Argentina Ambassador (and driver) in his black Mercedes picking up Sid Shreeve and me for dinner. How he got rock star treatment. No association with "Ugly American" bullying and history.

I always comment on the cultural differences between Argentina and Brazil. Brazilians are more genteel (influence of Japan, Portugal, US) while Argentina is more smash mouth, in-your-face (Spain, Italy, Germany). If you don't recognize it in your business approach and presentations, you are DOA.

Latin America (all third world countries) is top down selling, starting with political leaders.

I've even seen it work in the colonies!

Capitalizing on the Global Telecom Perfect Storm -- My True Story! Now with over 70K impressions!

We installed CableWorks in over 50 countries.

Argentina one of my many unbelievable true stories

After finding out Ambassador James Cheek had Arkansas ties, establishing contact was a high priority.

His obituary lists "Richard Cheek was United States Ambassador to Argentina from June 1993 until December 1996."

We went to dinner one evening, around 9 PM, normal meal hours. he picked us up (and my consulting associate, Sid Shreeve) at the Marriott Plaza, in his black Mercedes, with a driver. When we arrived at his favorite restaurant he was treated like a rock star. He had supported a down and out soccer team (San Lorenzo ) that he helped raise from the ashes. "U.S. Ambassador James Cheek, a fan of the San Lorenzo soccer team in Argentina, was taken to task by Argentine President Carlos Menem for criticizing the standard of refereeing in his country." Washington Post

If you check the guestbook signings there are numerous messages indicating how popular he was!

Oscar Schwartz Buenos Aires, Monday, May 16, 2011

James R. Cheek was a friendly, pleasant and down to earth human being. He was the most popular of all american ambassadors of the last fifty years. He acted like a local and his inclination for San Lorenzo football club made him one more of us. Very often present in football matches and poor provinces he will be remembered as a very good friend of Argentina. We will miss Mr. Cheek.

Sid Shreeve, consulting associate – Phoenix and Salt Lake City – there’s no better rainmaker for Latin America - member of Mormon pipeline -- Indiana Jones type – piranha fisherman – helped me locate the tomb of Evita in the Recoleta at the Duarte mausoleum-– on a rainy day.

Also part of our piranha fishing expedition.

Sid grew up in South America, fluent in Spanish and Portuguese - worked for HP, and knew founders Hewlett and Packard personally - we made an interesting nerve-racking sales trip to Caracas, another with buzzards following us in remote Costa Rica watching and waiting for a mistake – Adventurer - Understands the necessity of top down selling. Introductions and relationships are at the highest government and corporate level. His son Scott Shreeve is the chief executive office of Crossover Health, in Orange, CA, a next generation health care delivery. 

On occasion we would spend time on the ranch of his boyhood friend in Uruguay (adjoining Argentina toward the North) riding horses with gauchos on the Pampas. I recall one time there were crank phones, and a few years later they were wireless.

Families who worked on the ranch were furnished food (sheep almost daily) and lived in lean-to's on the backside of ranch. I was curious about living conditions, so I went inside; and they were watching TV. Really no power lines? They ran on batteries that were recharged weekly. With all the flat land they could receive TV stations from Brazil (miles away).

With Sid's mastery of Argentine Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and cultures he was often mistaken for an Argentine. We worked well together.

Sidebar: After finding out Ambassador James Cheek had Arkansas ties, establishing contact was a high priority.

His obituary lists "Richard Cheek was United States Ambassador to Argentina from June 1993 until December 1996."

Groupe Bull became our distributor in Latin America.

Groupe Bull was headquartered in Paris France. They were our best distributor with key people in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and China.

I recall we came upon a cock fight in the streets of Lima, Peru, as well as manual laborers with picks and shovels laying fiber for broadband.

Always expect the unexpected.

Yogism: You can observe a lot by just watching!