Oh my ‘Goooooooooooooooooooool! Argentina campion mondial!’
Lionel Messi provided the talent that turned Argentina into world champions, while Jewish sportscaster Andrés Cantor provided the voice
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
There was only one man happier than Lionel Messi at the World Cup Final on Sunday. Andrés Cantor. His feet never touched the ball, but from the booth the sportscaster witnessed a win for his country that gave him a chance to yell his signature “Goooool!” like never before.
After covering the World Cup since 1990 and calling losses for Argentina twice, Qatar 2022 gave the Jewish commentator the victory he has dreamt about and after the bellow he broke down in tears.
Born in Buenos Aires, Cantor’s mother is of Romanian Jewish descent, and his father’s gamily fled Nazi-occupied Poland. The family moved to California in the 1970s, where his mother had a psychology practice and his father was a teacher and physician.
Cantor’s first English-language assignment was the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he called both men’s and women’s football for NBC, complete with his signature call of “Goooool!”
Before the start of the World Cup, he said that he was taking lessons to prepare his voice as he was going to be calling two matches a day in Qatar.
Andrés Cantor, who moved to the U.S. from Buenos Aires as a teenager, calls Argentina winning the World Cup: pic.twitter.com/4PougSj1g7
— luffy (@vvsLuffy) December 18, 2022
English-speaking commentators are naturally more reserved, and Cantor was the first to introduce this type of drama to the airwaves. He has been honoured as Sports personality of the year in the US, and voiced himself in The Simpsons episode You Don’t have to Live like a Referee in 2014. His emotive soccer shout has been used in adverts for Volkswagen and is even a downloadable ringtone. He was a guest on David Letterman’s The Late Show many times,
Another unique line of Cantor’s can be heard whenever a game reaches half-time or is over: “El árbitro dice que no hay tiempo para más” (the referee says there is no time for more).
Before last night Andres said that this was his favourite goal call and he almost fainted. Last night’s thrilling World Cup final may have been decided on penalties, but this just increased the fervour especially for Cantor who held his breath for the final penalty in preparation for the loudest “GOOOOOOOOL!” of his career and then he cried with joy along with the team and everyone watching in Argentina.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
