Argentine fans, despite their disappointment after the World Cup final and their emotional gratitude to Lionel Messi, who is nearing international retirement, showed a lot of indifference, even defiance, in the face of criticism directed at their team's behavior, and spoke of 'pride' when they heard accusations of 'arrogance'.

The participation of 'Albiceleste' in the World Cup held in North America, and also after their defeat against Spain, was accompanied by a flood of hostile comments in the global press and social media.

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The Argentine team is accused of being 'negative', 'stingy', 'destructive', and having 'sarcastic', 'provocative', even violent behavior. The London-based Telegraph headlined 'Football 1, Hooligans 0', while the New York Times considered that 'Argentina harmed its reputation, as well as the image of the final...'. For its part, the British Sun said that Argentina 'paid the price for its desire to turn a football match into a street brawl'. But Argentines describe their players as 'stubborn, rough, and tough', and see these qualities as virtues in their team, and feel proud and moved by its resilience and the 'remontada' (comeback) they achieved against Egypt after trailing by two goals to win 3-2, and against Switzerland, which scored an equalizer before losing (3-1 after extra time). The biggest comeback was against 'hated' England, from trailing by a goal until the 85th minute to a 2-1 victory in stoppage time.

Despite the fans' awareness of foreign hostility towards their team, they live with this situation comfortably.

Marga Ledesma, a 36-year-old housewife, told AFP, 'They criticize us because we understand the meaning of suffering, getting up, falling again, and continuing to live like that, because certainly being Argentine is related to blood, heart, and love.'

- No Gifts from Anyone -

She continued, 'The Argentine is a fighter by nature. No one gives us anything, ever. And those who criticize us don't know how to sweat for the shirt like these players did.'

In recent days, media and social networks in the country have erupted to defend the 'Argentinity' of the team.

Famous broadcaster Pedro Rosemblat wrote on Instagram, 'There is a condescension towards us that Argentines cannot tolerate.'

He added, 'Our rebellion angers them and confronts them with their cowardice. They treat us as deceivers, cheaters, and dirty. And we love that.'

Mateo Baldo, an Argentine sports journalist, responded to a recent opinion piece published in the New York Times before the final that described the Argentine team as the 'villain of the World Cup', saying, 'The powerful celebrate you as long as you accept the place they want for you... It's not Argentina that bothers them, but its insubordination.'

Luis Chiomérine, a political science researcher and Argentine living in the United States, acknowledged in an opinion piece in La Nación that 'the judicial record is not clean', referring for example to racist chants by some Argentine players in the past which 'cannot be justified'.

He added, 'There is racism in Argentine society and it is part of its football culture.'

But he continued, 'There is racism also in all the countries participating in this World Cup, including those whose citizens have spent a month commenting on and scrutinizing Argentina closely.'

- Who is racist? -

Sociologist Iván Schuliáker told AFP that these accusations 'often come from colonial countries that have not yet fully resolved the issue of racism.'

He added, 'Accusing Argentina of racism is a reproduction of this colonialism, because they only see others from their own perspective.'

Sports journalist and writer Ezequiel Fernández Moores believes that some criticisms of Argentina's stance are valid, telling AFP, 'Sometimes we think we are the center of the world, convinced that God and his navel are Argentine.'

But Moores does not rule out the idea that 'a little envy' is behind the attacks on the Argentine team.

He continued, 'Argentina may be a Third World country in many areas, but in football it belongs to the world's elite. And like any superpower, people want to see it lose.'

Leo Simoni, a 59-year-old lawyer and fan of the Argentine team, offered his simple analysis, saying, 'Argentina is a team that gets under the skin of others, like most South American football teams.'

He added, 'This is football: if you don't like being touched, play volleyball.'

Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul wrote on Instagram, 'We realized how many people were hoping for Argentina to fall.'

He added, 'Our smiles bother them, our methods anger them.'

But for him, that only served to 'strengthen the passion and love for our shirt' for Argentines.