NEW YORK, United States, July 15, 2026 – It seems everyone wants a photograph with Enrique Macaya Marquez.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni certainly does – stopping to pose for a picture with the broadcaster after his news conference before the World Cup group-stage match with Jordan.
Macaya – as he is known – has quite the story.
In a career spanning almost seven decades, the 91-year-old has covered an unprecedented 18 consecutive World Cups.
His first one was in 1958 – featuring a 17-year-old prodigy named Pele.
Macaya was 24 when he was sent to Sweden for that tournament.
One of his first assignments was to see Pele’s Brazil take on Austria, but his first memory is of what came to be known as the ‘Disaster of Sweden’ – Argentina’s 6-1 defeat by Czechoslovakia.
“It remains etched in my memory as a tremendous thrashing for the Argentine national football team,” he says.
“We knew almost nothing about Czechoslovakia. We had no information, no data, and they surprised us.”
Nearly seven decades on, Macaya has seen football transform beyond recognition.
He has reported on Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and countless more great players.
Television has become digital, statistics have become instantaneous, and World Cups have expanded into global spectacles.
Yet one thing has remained unchanged: Macaya refuses to rush to judgement.
That philosophy shaped his view when Scaloni was unexpectedly appointed Argentina manager in 2018.
“I didn’t have high hopes,” says Macaya, who is a commentator on DSPORTS Radio. “I didn’t know him.”
Scaloni has since led Argentina to Copa America, Finalissima and World Cup glory, turning what many saw as one of football’s biggest gambles into one of its greatest success stories.
Macaya says watching those unfold reinforced something he has believed throughout his career.
“You can’t pass judgement without a much deeper, more complete understanding of the person being judged,” he say.
Messi or Maradona?
Argentina have once again reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and are preparing to face old foes England on Wednesday (20:00 BST) in a match you can watch live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer.
Macaya believes Argentina have every chance of repeating their success from 2022.
“Of course they can,” he says. “If we’re talking about what is possible, about the future, I believe Argentina is capable of winning.”
And there is perhaps no surprise when he is asked to name his favourite Argentina player. “Clearly, it’s Messi,” he says.
But when the inevitable question follows – who is the greatest of all time? – the certainty disappears.
“That question deserves a smile,” he says. “There’s no way to measure players throughout history.
“Times have changed. Opponents have changed. Every player is unique. I can say who I personally liked, but that doesn’t mean I believe that player was the best in history.”
It is a response that helps explain why Macaya has remained respected for so long. Rather than definitive rankings, he prefers nuance.
The same applies when he discusses Messi and another brilliant Argentina No 10 – Diego Maradona
“It is very difficult to make a cold comparison,” he says.
“The opponents were different. The needs were different. The support from their team-mates was different. Each had their own life and their own history.”
And he offers a similar answer when asked to compare Pele’s Brazil in 1970 with Maradona’s Argentina in 1986.
“There is no way to compare them,” he says. “The style is completely different.”
‘I’m going to retire at some point’
While it can be easy to bask in the glory of victories, Macaya says defeats matter just as much.
“There are many memorable matches,” he says. “Negative results are also part of that memory.”
For an Argentine, however, World Cup wins naturally occupy a special place.
“Winning the World Cup is my favourite memories, and in Maradona’s case, I think the trophy had finally given him the answer he sought his entire life: to be a world champion,” he says.
As for his own future, after almost 70 years covering the world’s biggest sporting event, retirement is finally on the horizon.
“I’m going to retire at some point,” he says with a laugh.
“I’m retiring now… so I’ll hang up and leave it for another time.”
For someone who has spent a lifetime documenting football history, it would be a fitting way to close a remarkable career.
Though true to his nature, Macaya Marquez’s farewell never feels final.
