And for the day that’s in it’s hats aff to Watson Hatton and why Scots cheer Argentina against England.
And you thought it was because of Diego Maradona and his Hand of God.
When it was Scottish teacher Hutton, the Father of Argentinian Football, all along.
For it was Gorbals boy Watson who popularised the game in Buenos Aires along with his fellow Caledonian emigres.
Watson, a keen sportsman (obvs) introduced kickball at the St Andrews Scotch School in the nation’s capital in 1882.
And the Glaswegian was behind the formation of the Argentine Association Football League in 1893.
And two years later the Buenos Aires English High School and a former pupil’s team in 1898 which became known as the Alumni Athletic.
Argentinian Alumni
Now historians of Argentinian football will know all about Alumni, the leading lights in that country’s game in the first two decades of the 20th century.
Watson was himself standing on the shoulders of another giant, an Alec Lamont, a head teacher from St Andrews, who two years prior to Watson’s league set up the Argentine Association Football League.
The earliest known league outside of Britain which St Andrews won after a play-off with Old Caledonians.
Our cup of Lipton tea
Now World Cup anoraks will be quick to tell you that the first final was between Argentina and Uruguay.
But it was an established rivalry by 1930, again because of Scots.
Glasgow tea magnate Thomas Lipton donated the Copa Lipton trophy in 1905 for competition between both nations which ran until 1992.
Watson’s son Arnold starred for Alumni and scored in Argentina’s 2-0 Copa Lipton win over Uruguay in 1906.
And that Scottish thread has been running through Argentinian teams ever since.
James Brown’s Boys
With a James Brown, one of the original Scottish settlers to Argentina in 1824 delivering manifold to the Argentinian cause.
Seven brothers and a cousin, all grandchildren of James Brown, would play for Argentinean clubs and six would also play for the Argentinian national team.
Jorge Gibson Brown captained Argentina from 1908 to 1913 and if you recognise that name in a previous Argentina team then ten out of ten.
Jose Luis Brown scored one of the goals as Argentina won the World Cup in 1986.
Vamos Argentina
While World Cup winner and key member of today’s Argentina team Alexis Mac Allister, is clearly one of Jock Tamson’s Bairns.
All of which you can regale your Argentinian friends with when you visit the country’s iconic grounds.
And the museums Museo River Plate, Boca Juniors’ interactive Museo de la Pasion Boquense and the intimate Diego Maradona Shrine at Argentinos Juniors Museo.
While, of course, you can pay pilgrimage to the Father of Argentinian Football himself, Watson Hutton.
At the British Cemetery (Cementerio Britanico) on Avenida Elcano in the Chacarita neighbourhood of the capital, accessible via the Federico Lacroze subway station.