Gary Lineker , one of the greatest legends of English football, found himself at the center of a controversy in his country. The legendary former striker, remembered among other things for facing Argentina in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, sparked a heated debate in the United Kingdom after referring to the Malvina Islands using their Spanish name instead of the British term "Malvinas," just hours before the two teams were set to face each other in the 2026 World Cup in Atlanta.

The episode occurred within the framework of the podcast The Rest Is Football , broadcast by Netflix , while Lineker was analyzing a possible clash between England and Argentina in the semifinals of the current World Cup, which finally happened yesterday, where the "scallop" beat England by 2 goals to 1.

While discussing the upcoming match, the former footballer reflected on the intense historical and geopolitical weight surrounding this football "classic." "England will face Argentina in a semi-final. But there's a lot of history between our nations... isn't there?" began the brilliant former striker, top scorer of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and scorer of England's goal in that memorable match, which Argentina also won 2-1 with two goals from Diego Maradona at the Azteca Stadium.

The biggest controversy erupted immediately afterwards, when, recalling the 1982 war, Gary Lineker decided to include the Spanish name for the islands: "Wasn't it so long ago that our two countries were at war over the Malvinas or the Malvinas, or even before?"

In the United Kingdom, Lineker 's statements were met with outrage and social media was quickly flooded with criticism and questions.

And although many users considered his words a serious lack of respect towards the memory of the British soldiers who died during the war; the protest against British colonialism was made by the same player who in 1986 shared the pitch of the Azteca stadium with the team of Diego Armando Maradona and the "hand of God".

This media clash also coincides with the viral spread of the Argentine team's celebrations after advancing in the World Cup to the rhythm of a new musical hit that says "For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo's last one", which further inflamed tempers on British soil in response to the former striker's statements.

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