More than Messi: Argentina’s Jewish story

England are 90 minutes away from the World Cup final after a thrilling extra-time victory against Norway on Saturday evening. Reigning world champions, Argentina, stand it their way in what promises to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament.

There is a side to Argentina that many people know surprisingly little about. Home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community and the sixth largest Jewish population in the diaspora, Argentina has played a remarkable role in Jewish history.

So, before kick-off, here are 10 fascinating facts about Argentina’s Jewish community.

1. The Argentina football crest has Jewish roots
The iconic Argentina football badge worn by the world champions was designed with the help of Jewish graphic designer Norberto “Toto” Rud, who played a leading role in creating the crest that is still recognised around the world today.

2. A Jewish scientist won Argentina a Nobel Prize
Argentina has produced five Nobel Prize winners. Among the most celebrated is Jewish biochemist César Milstein, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984 for developing the hybridoma technique that made monoclonal antibodies possible, transforming modern medicine.

3. Messi has visited the Western Wall
In 2013, Lionel Messi visited Jerusalem’s Western Wall alongside fellow Argentina international Javier Mascherano during a tour with Barcelona. The squad also met Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres.

4. Adolf Eichmann was captured in Argentina
One of the most dramatic episodes in modern Jewish history took place in Buenos Aires in 1960, when Mossad agents tracked down and captured Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann, secretly transporting him to Israel to stand trial.

5. Argentina became a refuge for Jews fleeing pogroms
Modern Jewish immigration to Argentina began on 14 August 1889, when 120 Jewish families fleeing Tsarist persecution in Russia arrived aboard the Vapor Wesser, laying the foundations for one of the world’s largest Jewish communities.

6. It has the only kosher McDonald’s outside Israel
Buenos Aires is home to the world’s only kosher McDonald’s outside Israel, serving kosher Big Macs and fries under rabbinical supervision.

7. It has the largest Jewish community in the Southern Hemisphere
Argentina is home to an estimated 175,000 to 220,000 Jews, making it not only Latin America’s largest Jewish community but also the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.

8. Rabbis served alongside Argentine troops during the Falklands War
During the 1982 Falklands War, Argentina allowed five rabbis to minister to Jewish soldiers, marking the first and only time non-Catholic clergy were officially deployed with the Argentine military.

9. A Jewish coach built Argentina’s youth football dynasty
Jewish coach José Pékerman guided Argentina’s Under-20 side to three FIFA World Youth Championship titles, helping develop generations of stars before later managing the senior national team.

10. Most Argentine Jews live in Messi’s home province
Around 85 per cent of Argentina’s Jewish population lives in Buenos Aires. The nearby province of Santa Fe, home to the city of Rosario where Lionel Messi was born and raised, also has a thriving Jewish community of around 20,000 people.

Whether England can book their place in the final remains to be seen. But whatever happens on the pitch, Argentina’s Jewish story is every bit as compelling as its footballing one.