Famous people from Argentina
Here is a list of famous people from Argentina. Curious if anybody from Argentina made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.
Lionel Messi
Football player
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team. By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He followed this up by winning the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010, and then again in 2011 & 2012. He also won the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. At the age of 24, Messi became Barcelona's all-time top scorer in all official club competitions. At age 25, Messi became the youngest player to score 200 La Liga goals. Widely recognised as being among the best players in the world and rated by some commentators, coaches and players as one of the best footballers of all time, Messi is the first football player in history to win four FIFA/Ballons d'Or, all of which he won consecutively, as well as the first to win three European Golden Shoe awards. Messi has won six La Ligas, two Copas del Rey, five Supercopas de España, three UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups.
Juan Martín del Potro
Tennis Player
Juan Martín del Potro, often nicknamed Delpo, is an Argentine professional tennis player who is currently ranked No.5 in the world and the highest-ranked Argentine. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on 6 October 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4. Soon after attaining this ranking, del Potro had to withdraw from most of the tournaments in 2010 due to a wrist injury. Having started playing tennis at the age of seven, del Potro won his first senior match in 2004 at the age of 15. In 2008, he became the first player in ATP history to win his first four career titles in as many tournaments. He also completed the second-longest winning streak in 2008, and the second longest by a teenager in the Open Era, behind Rafael Nadal—with his winning sequence spanning 23 matches over five tournaments. Del Potro captured his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open, defeating Nadal in the semifinal and Roger Federer in the final—the first man to defeat them both in the same Grand Slam tournament. Del Potro is the only player other than the Big Four to have won a men's grand slam singles title since 2005. He became the second Argentine and the fifth-youngest man to win the US Open title in the Open Era. Del Potro also won the bronze medal in men's singles at the London Olympics in 2012.
Carlos Tévez
Soccer
Carlos Alberto Tévez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus. He has previously played for Manchester City, Boca Juniors, Corinthians, West Ham United and Manchester United. He transferred to Manchester City from United in the 2009 summer transfer window, becoming the first player to move between the two rival clubs since Terry Cooke in 1999. His energy and goal scoring rate made him an indispensable player for the club in the eyes of fellow players and media alike. He was promoted to captain at the beginning of the 2010–11 season by manager Roberto Mancini. In 2011, Tévez sought a transfer away from Manchester, citing family reasons and Sergio Agüero was drafted in as a replacement. His career has been dogged by a long-standing relationship with Media Sports Investment, the company which owned the rights of Tévez, and several other players and coaches. This eventually resulted in West Ham United being fined over issues regarding third-party ownership. He has made 62 appearances for the Argentina national team, scoring 13 goals.
Jorge Luis Borges
Novelist
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges, known as Jorge Luis Borges, was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator who was born in Buenos Aires. His work embraces the "character of unreality in all literature". His most famous books, Ficciones and The Aleph, are compilations of short stories interconnected by common themes such as dreams, labyrinths, libraries, mirrors, animals, fictional writers, philosophy, religion and God. Borges's works have contributed to philosophical literature and also to both the fantasy and magical realism genres. The genre of magical realism reacted against the dominant realism and naturalism of the nineteenth century. Critic Ángel Flores, the first to use the term, considers the beginning of the movement to be the release of Borges's A Universal History of Infamy. Scholars have also suggested that Borges's progressive blindness helped him to create innovative literary symbols through imagination. His late poems dialogue with such cultural figures as Spinoza, Camões, and Virgil. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland, where he studied at the Collège de Genève. The family travelled widely in Europe, including stays in Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in surrealist literary journals. He also worked as a librarian and public lecturer. In 1955 he was appointed director of the National Public Library and professor of Literature at the University of Buenos Aires. He became completely blind at the age of fifty five, and was unable to read from this point on, never learning braille. In 1961 he came to international attention when he received the first ever Prix International, sharing the award with Samuel Beckett. In 1971 he won the Jerusalem Prize. His work was translated and published widely in the United States and in Europe. Borges himself was fluent in several languages. Borges dedicated his final work, The Conspirators, to the city of Geneva, Switzerland.
Ástor Piazzolla
Nuevo tango Artist
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player and arranger. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles.
José de San Martín
Politician
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as José de San Martín, was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes, in modern Argentina, he left his mother country at the early age of seven to study in Málaga, Spain. In 1808, after taking part in the Peninsular War against France, San Martín contacted South American supporters of independence from Spain. In 1812, he set sail for Buenos Aires and offered his services to the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, present-day Argentina. After the Battle of San Lorenzo and time commanding the Army of the North during 1814, he organized a plan to defeat the Spanish forces that menaced the United Provinces from the north, using an alternative path to the Viceroyalty of Peru. This objective first involved the establishment of a new army, the Army of the Andes, in Cuyo Province, Argentina. From there, he led the Crossing of the Andes to Chile, and triumphed at the Battle of Chacabuco and the Battle of Maipú, thus liberating Chile from royalist rule. Then he sailed to attack the Spanish stronghold of Lima, Peru.
Manu Ginóbili
Basketball Shooting guard
Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili is an Argentine professional basketball player. Coming from a family of professional basketball players, he is a member of the Argentine men's national basketball team and the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association. Hailed as one of the finest European-based players to grace the NBA, he plays a high-tempo and intense game. He is one of only two players, along with Bill Bradley, to have won a Euroleague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. Ginóbili spent the early part of his basketball career in Argentina and Italy, where he won several individual and team honors. His stint with Italian side Kinder Bologna was particularly productive; he won two Italian League MVP awards, the Euroleague Finals MVP and the 2001 Euroleague and Triple Crown championships. Selected as the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, the shooting guard is considered one of the biggest draft steals of all time. Ginóbili joined the Spurs in 2002, and soon became a key player for the team. He has earned three NBA championship rings and was named an All-Star in 2005 and 2011. In the 2007–08 season, he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Ginóbili has also enjoyed success with the Argentina national team. He made his debut in 1998, and helped win the gold medal during the 2004 Olympics Basketball Tournament.
Gabriela Sabatini
Tennis Player
Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini is a former professional tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. She won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1990, the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, two Year-End Championships in 1988 and 1994, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. Sabatini also won most of the highest level regular events on the women's tour, including Miami and Rome. In the late 1980s, Sabatini launched a line of fragrances after partnering with the German perfume company Muelhens. Her signature scent debuted in 1989, and became a top-seller in Brühl, West Germany, known as the hometown of Steffi Graf.
Eva Perón
Politician
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is usually referred to as Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita. She was born in the village of Los Toldos in The Pampas, rural Argentina in 1919, the youngest of five children. In 1934, at the age of 15, she went to the nation's capital of Buenos Aires, where she pursued a career as a stage, radio, and film actress. Eva met Colonel Juan Perón on 22 January 1944, in Buenos Aires during a charity event at the Luna Park Stadium to benefit the victims of an earthquake in San Juan, Argentina. The two were married the following year. In 1946, Juan Perón was elected President of Argentina. Over the course of the next six years, Eva Perón became powerful within the pro-Peronist trade unions, primarily for speaking on behalf of labor rights. She also ran the Ministries of Labor and Health, founded and ran the charitable Eva Perón Foundation, championed women's suffrage in Argentina, and founded and ran the nation's first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party.
Sergio Agüero
Celebrity
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. On 5 July 2003, he became the youngest player to debut in the Argentine Primera División at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976. He plays with the shirt name Kun Agüero. At international level, Agüero represented the Argentina under-20 team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 and in 2007, winning both tournaments. Agüero played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he scored two goals in the 3–0 semi-final win against Brazil as Argentina went on to win the gold medal. Agüero was selected to represent Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2011 Copa América. In 2006, Agüero moved to Europe to play for La Liga side Atlético Madrid for a fee of €23 million from Independiente. He made a name for himself, attracting attention from Europe's top clubs by scoring 101 goals in 234 appearances while winning the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010. Agüero moved to Premier League club Manchester City in July 2011 for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £35 million. On the last day of his début season with the club, Agüero scored a 94th-minute winner against Queen's Park Rangers that earned Manchester City their first league title in 44 years. In 2012, he won Manchester City's player of the year as voted for by the fans.
Daniel Barenboim
Classical Artist
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Israeli Argentine-born pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings. Currently, he is general music director of La Scala in Milan, the Berlin State Opera, and the Staatskapelle Berlin; he previously served as Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris. Barenboim is also known for his work with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a Seville-based orchestra of young Arab and Israeli musicians, and as a resolute critic of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Barenboim has received many awards and prizes, including an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, France's Légion d'honneur both as a Commander and Grand Officier, the German Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz and Willy Brandt Award, and, together with the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Award. He has won seven Grammy awards for his work and discography.
Juan Perón
Politician
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer and politician. After serving in several government positions, including those of Minister of Labour and Vice President of the Republic, he was three times elected as President of Argentina, serving from June 1946 to September 1955, when he was overthrown by a coup d'état, and from October 1973 to July 1974. During his first presidential term, Perón was supported by his second wife, Eva Duarte, and the two were immensely popular among many Argentines. Eva died in 1952, and Perón was elected to a second term, serving from 1952 until 1955. During the following period of two military dictatorships, interrupted by one civilian government, the Peronist party was outlawed and Perón was exiled. When the left-wing Peronist Hector Cámpora was elected President in 1973, Perón returned to Argentina and was soon after elected President for a third time. His third wife, María Estela Martínez, known as Isabel Perón, was elected as Vice President on his ticket and succeeded him as President upon his death in 1974. Juan and Evita Perón are still considered icons by the Peronists. The Peróns' followers praised their efforts to eliminate poverty and to dignify labor, while their detractors considered them demagogues and dictators. The Peróns gave their name to the political movement known as Peronism, which in present-day Argentina is represented mainly by the Justicialist Party.
Manuel Belgrano
Politician
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano, usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina. He is regarded as one of the main Libertadores of the country. Belgrano was born in Buenos Aires, the fourth child of Italian businessman Domingo Belgrano y Peri and Josefa Casero. He came into contact with the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment while at university in Spain around the time of the French Revolution. Upon his return to the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, where he became a notable member of the criollo population of Buenos Aires, he tried to promote some of the new political and economic ideals, but found severe resistance from local peninsulars. This rejection led him to work towards a greater autonomy for his country from the Spanish colonial regime. At first, he unsuccessfully promoted the aspirations of Carlota Joaquina to become a regent ruler for the Viceroyalty during the period the Spanish King Ferdinand VII was imprisoned during the Peninsular War. He favoured the May Revolution, which removed the viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros from power on 25 May 1810. He was elected as a voting member of the Primera Junta that took power after the ouster.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Politician
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner, known as Cristina Kirchner or CFK, is the 52nd and current President of Argentina and widow of former president Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, the second woman to hold the position and the first woman re-elected. A Justicialist, Fernández served one term as National Deputy and three terms as National Senator for both Santa Cruz and Buenos Aires provinces. A native of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Fernández is a graduate of the National University of La Plata. She met her husband during her studies, and they moved to Santa Cruz to work as lawyers. In May 1991, she was elected to the provincial legislature. Between 1995 and 2007, she was repeatedly elected to the Argentine National Congress, both as a National Deputy and National Senator. During Kirchner's presidency she acted as First Lady. Fernández was chosen as the Front for Victory presidential candidate in 2007. In the October 2007 general election she obtained 45.3% of the vote and a 22% lead over her nearest rival, avoiding a runoff election. She was inaugurated on 10 December 2007, and was re-elected to a second term in the first round of the October 2011 general election, with 54.1% and 37.3% over the next candidate, Hermes Binner. Critics of Kirchner's administration charged it with corruption, crony capitalism, falsification of public statistics, harassment of Argentina's independent media and use of the tax agency as a censorship tool.
David Nalbandian
Tennis Player
David Pablo Nalbandian is a retired Argentine professional tennis player and former World No. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005. He has also won two Masters 1000 events and reached the semi-finals or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Javier Zanetti
Soccer
Javier Adelmar Zanetti is an Argentine footballer who plays for Serie A club Internazionale. Javier Zanetti has been playing for Inter since 1995, taking the captain's armband from 29 August 1999. Known for his versatility, he is adept on both the left and right wing, having played on both flanks as a fullback as well as a winger. He slots into several midfield positions with ease, particularly as a defensive or central midfielder. Internationally, he holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team and has played in the 1996 Olympic tournament and in two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002. Known as "Pupi" in Argentina, Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires, picking up the nickname "El Tractor" soon after his move to Italy where his strength, resilience, stamina, and his ability to run past opposing defenders when joining the attack from his right back position earned him reverence. More recently, he plays in the right midfield. He ended a 4-year goal drought when he scored on 5 November 2006. In the national team, he is deployed as a right back but is able to switch between defense and attack easily. Zanetti has won five Serie A titles with Inter, having earned the nickname "Il Capitano" among the fans and media since taking captaincy at Inter. As of the 2011–12 season, he is the only non-Italian player to captain a Serie A team. He holds the record for the highest all-time appearances by a non-Italian born player for an Italian club and his 834 official matches for the club put him first in Inter's all-time appearances list. Zanetti, who plans to retire with Inter and continue to work with the club thereafter, is also noted for his charity work, running a foundation to benefit disadvantaged children in Argentina. He has been named an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages project in Argentina by FIFA, and in 2005, he received the Ambrogino d'Oro award from the Milan townhall for his social initiative. Zanetti is also a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.
Chris de Burgh
Pop rock Artist
Chris de Burgh is an Argentine-born British-Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red", which reached number one in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Martha Argerich
Classical Artist
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.
Gabriel Batistuta
Soccer
Gabriel Omar Batistuta, nicknamed Batigol as well as El Ángel Gabriel, is a retired professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches. On the international level, he is Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer, with 56 goals in 78 national team matches, and represented his country at three World Cups. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "125 Greatest Living Footballers". With an all-round game with clinical finishing, heading and free-kick taking abilities, he is known as one of the most complete strikers of his generation. Diego Maradona has also said that Batistuta is the best striker he has ever seen play the game. When his club Fiorentina was relegated to Serie B in 1993, Batistuta stayed with the club and helped it return to the top-flight league a year later. A popular sporting figure in Florence, the Fiorentina fans erected a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996, in recognition of his performances for Fiorentina. He never won the Italian league with Fiorentina, but when he moved to Roma in 2000, he finally won the Serie A championship to crown his career in Italy. He played his last professional season in Qatar with Al-Arabi before he retired in 2005.
Ángel di María
Soccer
Ángel Fabián di María Hernández is an Argentine professional footballer who currently plays as a winger for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Argentine national team. He is nicknamed El Angelito, Di Magia, El Flaco, El Pibito and Fideo, Spanish for noodle.
Hernán Crespo
Soccer
Hernán Jorge Crespo is an Argentine retired footballer, who scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. His honours include three Serie A scudetti, a Copa Libertadores, a Premier League title and an Olympic Games silver medal. He was top scorer in the 2000–01 Serie A with 26 goals, while playing for Lazio. Crespo once held the world record in transfer fee, when he was bought by Lazio from Parma in July 2000.
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Soccer
Alfredo Stéfano di Stéfano Laulhé is a former Argentine footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He is most associated with Real Madrid and was instrumental in their domination of the European Champions' Cup during the 1950s, a period in which the club won the trophy in five consecutive seasons from 1956. Along with Francisco Gento, he was one of only two players to play a part in all five victories. di Stéfano played international football mostly for Spain, but he also played for Argentina and Colombia. Di Stéfano, nicknamed "Saeta rubia", was a powerful forward with great stamina, tactical versatility, and vision, who could also play almost anywhere on the pitch. He is currently the 4th highest scorer in the history of Spain's top division, and Real Madrid's 2nd highest league goalscorer of all time, with 216 goals in 282 league matches between 1953 and 1964. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Spain by the Royal Spanish Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He was named by Pelé as one of the "top 125 greatest living footballers" in March 2004. Di Stéfano was voted fourth, behind Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff, in a vote organized by the French weekly magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century.
Andrés Calamaro
Folk rock Artist
Andrés Calamaro, is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. His former band Los Rodríguez was a major success in Spain in the 1990s. He became one of the main icons of the Argentine rock in the last two decades and has sold over 1.3 million copies.
Luisana Lopilato
Pop rock Artist
Luisana Loreley Lopilato is an Argentine actress, model and singer with the nickname Lu or Luli. She has appeared in the television series Chiquititas, Rebelde Way, Alma Pirata, Casados con Hijos and Atracción x4. She is a former member of the Argentine band Erreway and has had a successful modeling career.
Juan Mónaco
Tennis Player
Juan Mónaco, nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He has won eight singles titles and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 10 in July 2012.
Marcelo Bielsa
Soccer
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera is an Argentine football coach and former defender. Bielsa has managed football clubs and also the national teams of Argentina and Chile. In Chile, he achieved cult status due to the improved results of the national team under his leadership. His personality and gestures have in Chile captured the attention of media and unleashed a series of minor controversies both in the area of sports and politics. In 1980, after retiring from playing in football, Bielsa decided to start a career as a football manager. His first assignment was coaching the youth divisions of Argentine club Newell's Old Boys. In 1990, Bielsa was given the task of managing Newell's first team where he would later go on to win the 1990 Torneo Apertura and the 1990–91 Torneo Integración defeating Boca Juniors in penalties. El Loco managed the squad that competed in the final of the 1992 Copa Libertadores losing to São Paulo on penalties. Weeks later after enduring defeat in the Copa Libertadores final, Bielsa and Newell's won the 1992 Torneo Clausura.
Javier Saviola
Soccer
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Olympiacos F.C. in the Superleague Greece, as a striker. Known for his speed and his ability to score from almost any attacking position in the field, he represented both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and was named as the youngest player, on Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers. Due to his ancestry he also holds Spanish nationality since 2004, and he amassed La Liga totals of 196 games and 70 goals over the course of eight seasons. An Argentine international for seven years, Saviola represented the country at the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Copa América. He also won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.
Juan Román Riquelme
Soccer
Juan Román Riquelme is an Argentine footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Boca Juniors. One of most talented players of his generation, Riquelme is best known for his creative passing. A playmaker, he combines passing, vision and skills with goalscoring ability from midfield. He spent most of his career with Boca Juniors, but also had a significant spell in Spain with Villarreal. He was named the Argentine Footballer of the Year four times. A longtime Argentine international, Riquelme represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Javier Mascherano
Soccer
Javier Alejandro Mascherano is an Argentine footballer who plays as a central defender for FC Barcelona and a defensive midfielder for Argentina national team. Mascherano began his career at River Plate. He earned his first senior honours in 2003–04, winning the Primera División Argentina. He also won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in the Athens Games and finished runner up in the Copa América 2004. He moved to Brazilian side Corinthians in 2005, winning the Brazilian Série A in his first season. Mascherano moved to Europe, signing for Premier League side West Ham United. However, unusual contract terms with Global Soccer Agencies blighted his brief time at the club and at the beginning of 2007 he joined Liverpool on loan. He was runner up in the UEFA Champions League in his first season on Merseyside and again finished runner up in the Copa América with Argentina. He officially signed for Liverpool in February 2008 for £18.6 million, parting ways with Global Soccer Agencies. He won a second Olympic gold medal with Argentina in the Beijing 2008 Games, the first male footballer to achieve this since 1928. He was considered a key part of the national side by past coach Diego Maradona who appointed him captain and stated that his team was just Jonás, Mascherano, Messi and eight more.
Juan Manuel Fangio
Racing driver
Juan Manuel Fangio, nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro, was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Championship of Drivers five times. From childhood, he abandoned his studies to pursue auto mechanics. In 1938, he debuted in Turismo Carretera, competing in a Ford V8. In 1940, he competed with Chevrolet, winning the Grand Prix International Championship and devoted his time to the Argentine Turismo Carretera becoming its champion, a title he successfully defended a year later. Fangio then competed in Europe between 1947 to 1949 where he achieved further success. He won the World Championship of Drivers five times —a record which stood for 46 years until beaten by Michael Schumacher—with four different teams, a feat that has not been repeated. A member of the Formula 1 Hall of Fame, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and holds the highest winning percentage in Formula One - 46.15 % - winning 24 of 52 Formula One races he entered. Fangio is the only Argentine driver to have won the Argentine Grand Prix, having won it four times in his career—the most of any driver.
Guillermo Vilas
Tennis Player
Guillermo Vilas is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina. Although he peaked at world no. 2 on the ATP rankings in 1977, several sources and publications ranked Vilas as the world no. 1 that year. Vilas was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament and is considered one of the greatest South American tennis players ever. He is the first male player to win more than 900 matches, since surpassed by lendl and connors .
Lucas Barrios
Soccer
Lucas Ramón Barrios Cáceres is a Paraguayan footballer. He currently plays as a striker for Spartak Moscow. Barrios is known for his effectiveness in the target area. This earned him his nickname La Pantera, which means The Panther. Barrios' mother is Paraguayan, which made him eligible to receive Paraguay nationality at birth. He received his Paraguay nationality in March 2010.
Lalo Schifrin
Film score Artist
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations. Schifrin, associated with the jazz music genre, is also noted for work with Clint Eastwood in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, particularly the Dirty Harry films.
Gustavo Santaolalla
Film score Artist
Gustavo Santaolalla is a musician, film score composer, film and record producer.
Dani Osvaldo
Soccer
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo is an Argentine-born Italian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Southampton in the Premier League and the Italy national team.
Pablo Aimar
Soccer
Pablo César Aimar Giordano is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Johor Darul Takzim F.C. in the Malaysian Super League. An attacking midfielder with a vast array of skills, he also holds a Spanish passport. After starting out at River Plate he amassed La Liga totals of 215 games and 32 goals over the course of eight seasons, mainly with Valencia. He also played several years in Portugal with Benfica, winning five major titles between the two teams combined. Aimar gained more than 50 caps for Argentina during one full decade, representing the nation in two World Cups and as many Copa América tournaments.
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
Noble person
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is the wife of King Willem-Alexander. On 30 April 2013, she became the first Dutch queen consort since Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont who held that title until 1890.
Gerardo Martino
Soccer Midfielder
Gerardo Daniel 'Tata' Martino is an Argentine manager and former football midfielder, who is currently the manager of FC Barcelona. Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He holds the record of appearances with the team playing a total of 505 matches in all official competitions. He was also selected in a fan's poll as Newell's best player throughout the club's history.
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Soccer
Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi is an Argentine footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentina national team as a forward or winger.
Cris Morena
Actor
María Cristina De Giacomi is an Argentine Award-winning television producer, actress, television presenter, composer, musician, songwriter, writer, former fashion model and CEO of Cris Morena Group. She is one of the most successful producers in the country and is the creator of Argentina's most successful youth-oriented shows such as Jugate Conmigo, Chiquititas, Rebelde Way, Floricienta, Alma Pirata, and Casi Ángeles. Until 2001, she worked directly for Telefe but, since Rebelde Way, in 2002, she works independently and has her own production company Cris Morena Group. She is the mother of the actress Romina Yan, and of the producer and current Telefe director Tomás Yankelevich. Until 1991, she was mostly known as an actress due to her role in iconic comedy shows such as Mesa de Noticias and Amigos son los Amigos and as a songwriter, thanks to the hits she wrote for children show host Flavia Palmiero alongside Carlos Nilson. In 1991, she made her debut as a powerful name in TV production when she created, presented and produced Jugate Conmigo. She went on to create the biggest youth-oriented franchises in Argentina history and her shows, such as Chiquititas, Rebelde Way and Floriciente, attracted huge ratings all over the world and spawned hundreds of products, albums and live concerts. Even though most of her shows were heavily panned by critics, most of them were huge commercial successes and had huge repercussion not only in Argentina but also in several other countries such as Brazil, Greece, Israel, Spain, Uruguay, Mexico and Chile.
Juan Sebastián Verón
Soccer
Juan Sebastián Verón is currently both a player and a Director of Sports at Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina. Verón's career started in Estudiantes de La Plata, continued in Argentina's Boca Juniors, and included stints in several Serie A clubs, and England's Manchester United and Chelsea. In 2006, Verón returned to Estudiantes. In 2004, he was included in the FIFA 100 centenary list of the 125 greatest living footballers, selected by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. Verón has both Argentine and Italian citizenship. His nickname is La Brujita, a nod to his father Juan Ramón who was known as La Bruja and was also a championship winning player with Estudiantes.
Diego Milito
Soccer
Diego Alberto Milito is an Argentine footballer of Italian origin who plays as a striker for Italian club Internazionale in Serie A and for the Argentine national team. A prolific and consistent centre-forward, Milito has statistically averaged just over a goal every two appearances, over the course of his 10-year professional career. He was pivotal in Inter's 2009–10 treble-winning season, contributing two goals in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final. He has been nicknamed El Príncipe because of his physical resemblance with former Uruguayan footballer Enzo Francescoli, who had the same nickname.
Charly García
Alternative rock Artist
Charly García is a singer-songwriter, musician, and producer from Argentina with a long career in rock music, forming successful groups such as Sui Generis and Serú Girán, cult status groups like La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and as a solo musician. His main instruments are piano and keyboards. He is widely considered by critics as one of the most influential rock artists in the Spanish rock scene.
Lisandro López
Soccer
Lisandro López, sometimes known as Lisandro, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Al-Gharafa Sports Club. Primarily a striker, he is also capable of playing on the wings. After starting out at Racing Club in 2003, López spent most of his professional career with Porto in Portugal and Lyon in France, winning eight major titles the two teams combined.
Alejo Stivel
Singer-songwriter
Alejo Stivel is a film producer.
Eduardo Williams
Film Director
Eduardo Williams is a film director, film producer, screenwriter and film editor.
Miguel Pérez
Film Director
Miguel Pérez is a film editor.
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Politician
Juan Manuel de Rosas, nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was a politician, army officer and caudillo who ruled the Argentine Confederation almost uninterruptibly from 1829 until 1852.
Claudio Caniggia
Soccer
Claudio Paul Caniggia, born 9 January 1967 in Henderson, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football forward, who played 50 times for the Argentine national team. He appeared in three World Cups, and was a member of both rival clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors. Caniggia was known for his speed as a player and competed in Athletics before his football career. He ran his best time for the hundred meters of 10.20s whilst competing in athletic tournaments at the provincial level. At that level he also ran the 200 meters and competed in long jump. However, he did not reach the National level in athletic tournaments because he had dedicated himself full-time to football, playing for River Plate. Caniggia, as a football player, could run 100 meters in 10.5 seconds. Currently he lives in Marbella, Spain and plays for Wembley
Ezequiel Garay
Soccer
Ezequiel Marcelo Garay González is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal and the Argentine national team, as a central defender. He started his career with Newell's Old Boys but moved to Spain at the age of 19, going on to amass La Liga totals of 109 games and 15 goals over the course of six seasons, with Racing de Santander and Real Madrid. In 2011 he signed with Benfica.
Federico Delbonis
Tennis Player
Federico Delbonis is an Argentine professional tennis player.
Gabriel Heinze
Soccer
Gabriel Iván Heinze is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Newell's Old Boys. He can operate as either a left or central defender. Nicknamed Gringo, he made a name for himself at Paris Saint-Germain, moving in 2004 to Manchester United and subsequently to Real Madrid, winning three major titles with the latter two clubs. Heinze played more than 70 times with Argentina, representing the nation at two World Cups and as many Copa América tournaments.
Gastón Gaudio
Tennis Player
Gastón Norberto Gaudio is a retired tennis player from Argentina. He won eight singles titles and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world no. 5 in April 2005. Gaudio's most significant title win came at the 2004 French Open, where he defeated fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria in five sets in the final. He learned the game at the Temperley Lawn Tennis Club, and his first coach was Roberto Carruthers. In addition to tennis Gaudio played football and rugby as a child and chose tennis to help out his parents financially when their business ran into economic problems.
Erik Lamela
Soccer Midfielder
Erik Manuel Lamela is an Argentine footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Tottenham Hotspur and the Argentina national team. He is known for his exceptional dribbling ability and pace and is nicknamed Coco.
Ariel Ortega
Soccer Midfielder
Arnaldo Ariel Ortega is a retired Argentine football attacking midfielder. His nickname is "El Burrito", thus he is called "Burrito Ortega". Ariel Ortega first played for Club Atlético River Plate on 14 December 1991 and until 1996 and returned in 2000–02, 2006–08 and 2009–11. Ortega's other clubs include Fenerbahçe, Parma, Sampdoria, Valencia, and Newell's Old Boys. Ortega played for his country in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups. He was also a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Carlos Berlocq
Tennis Player
Carlos Alberto Berlocq is an Argentine professional male tennis player nicknamed Charly, Panther and Warlocq. His favourite surface is clay and he is currently coached by Walter Grinovero. Berlocq's career-high singles ranking is World No. 37, achieved in March 2012.
Jorge Rafael Videla
Politician
Jorge Rafael Videla was a senior commander in the Argentine Army and de facto President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. He came to power in a coup d'état that deposed Isabel Martínez de Perón. Two years after the return of a representative democratic government in 1983, he was prosecuted in the Trial of the Juntas for large-scale human rights abuses and crimes against humanity that took place under his rule, including kidnappings or forced disappearance, widespread torture and extrajudicial murder of activists, political opponents as well as their families, at secret concentration camps. An estimated 15,000 to 30,000 political dissidents were killed during this period. Videla was also convicted of the theft of many babies born during the captivity of their mothers at the illegal detention centres and passing them on for illegal adoption by associates of the regime. He was under house arrest until 10 October 2008, when he was sent to a military prison. Following a new trial, on 22 December 2010, Videla was sentenced to life in a civilian prison for the deaths of 31 prisoners following his coup d'état. On 5 July 2012, Videla was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the systematic kidnapping of children during his tenure. On 17 May 2013, Videla died in the Marcos Paz civilian prison two years after his sentencing, of injuries suffered five days earlier in a fall in the shower.
Ernesto Sabato
Novelist
Ernesto Sabato was an Argentine writer, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America". Upon his death El País dubbed him the "last classic writer in Argentine literature". Sabato was distinguished by his bald pate and brush moustache and wore tinted spectacles and open-necked shirts. He was born in Rojas, a small town in Buenos Aires Province. Sabato began his studies at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata. He then studied physics at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, where he earned a Ph.D. He then attended the Sorbonne in Paris and worked at the Curie Institute. After World War II, he lost faith in science and started writing. Sabato's oeuvre includes three novels: El Túnel, Sobre héroes y tumbas and Abaddón el exterminador. The first of these received critical acclaim upon its publication from, among others, fellow writers Albert Camus and Thomas Mann. The second is regarded as his masterpiece, though he nearly burnt it like many of his other works. Sabato's essays cover topics as diverse as metaphysics, politics and tango. His writings led him to receive many international prizes, including the Legion of Honour, the Prix Médicis and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize.
Guillermo Coria
Tennis Player
Guillermo Sebastián Coria, nicknames include El Mago, is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina who was runner-up at the 2004 French Open and a former World No. 3. He was named after tennis champion and compatriot Guillermo Vilas.
Martín Demichelis
Soccer
Martín Gastón Demichelis is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Manchester City in England, mainly as a central defender, although he can operate occasionally as a defensive midfielder. A tough-tackler, Demichelis spent most of his professional career with Bayern Munich in Germany, winning 11 major titles with the team. He also competed in his home country – with River Plate – and in Spain – with Málaga.
Sergio Martínez
Professional Boxer
Sergio Gabriel Martínez is an Argentine professional boxer. He is the current Lineal, The Ring, and WBC middleweight champion. Martinez was previously in the light-middleweight division, where he held the WBC light-middleweight title, as well as the WBC Latino title. Also, he has competed in the welterweight division, where he held the WBO Latino title. Martínez is currently rated as the number five pound for pound best boxer in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites, including Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. He is rated as the no.4 pound for pound boxer in the world by The Ring. In 2010 he received The Ring and BWAA "Fighter of the Year" and The Ring "Knockout of the Year" awards, resp. Martinez holds notable victories over former world champions Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams, Sergiy Dzinziruk and Julio César Chávez, Jr..
Atahualpa Yupanqui
Musical Artist
Atahualpa Yupanqui was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century. Yupanqui was born as Héctor Roberto Chavero Aranburu in Pergamino, in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His father was a Criollo descended from indigenous people, while his mother was born in the Basque country. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over. In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed Kennedy brothers uprising against the de facto government of José Félix Uriburu and in support of deposed president Hipólito Yrigoyen. After the uprising was defeated, he was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934. In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".
Ignacio Scocco
Soccer
Ignacio "Nacho" Martín Scocco is an Argentine International Football player currently playing as a forward for Internacional. Scocco can play on both wings, but prefers to play on the left. He can also play as an attacking midfielder and often as striker. Scocco is well known for his powerful accurate shot, dribbling skills, pace and attacking intelligence.
Olivia Hussey
Actor
Olivia Hussey is an Argentine-born British actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet, winning a Golden Globe as well as the David di Donatello for best actress. She is also well known for her role as Mary, the mother of Jesus in the 1977 TV production of Jesus of Nazareth. She has starred in films such as Black Christmas, Death on the Nile, and Virus.
Martina Stoessel
Dancer
Martina Stoessel is an Argentine teen actress, dancer, singer, and model, who gained popularity for her debut role as Violetta Castillo on the Disney Channel original series Violetta.
Ángel Cabrera
Golfer
Ángel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The Duck" for his waddling gait. He is a two-time major champion, having won the 2007 U.S. Open and the 2009 Masters, in each becoming the first Argentine to win either tournament. He also lost in a sudden death playoff at the 2013 Masters.
Mauro Camoranesi
Soccer
Mauro Germán Camoranesi, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian Argentine footballer who plays for Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División. He is a midfielder, usually on the right wing. Camoranesi was part of Italy's winning squad at the 2006 World Cup.
Martín Palermo
Soccer
Martín Palermo is an Argentine retired footballer, who played as a striker, and the current coach of Godoy Cruz. Formerly player for Boca Juniors of Argentina, and the Argentina national team. Nicknamed Loco or Titán. He also played in Argentina for Estudiantes de La Plata and in Spain for Villarreal, Real Betis, and Alavés.
Aníbal Troilo
Tango Artist
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango, but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s. Troilo's orchestra is best known for its instrumentals and also recorded with many vocalists, such as Francisco Fiorentino, Alberto Marino, Floreal Ruiz, Roberto Goyeneche, Raul Beron, and Edmundo Rivero. The rhythmic instrumentals and the recordings with vocalist Francisco Fiorentino from 1940-41 are the favorite recordings for social dancing in contemporary tango salons. The renowned bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla played in and arranged for his orquesta típica during the period 1939-1944.
Juan Ignacio Chela
Tennis Player
Juan Ignacio Chela, known as "El Flaco", is a former professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like most Argentine players, he is comfortable on clay courts and owns all six of his career titles on the surface. Chela reached the quarter-finals of the 2004 and 2011 French Open, and the 2007 US Open, attaining a career-high singles ranking of World No. 15 in August 2004.
Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno
Cumbia Artist
Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno, known by his stage name Rodrigo or his nickname "El Potro", was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. Bueno's style was marked by his on-stage energy and charisma. His short, dyed hair and casual clothes differed from typical cuarteto singers with strident colors and long curly hair. During his career, Bueno expanded cuarteto music to the Argentine national scene, remaining one of the main figures of the genre. The son of Eduardo Alberto Bueno, a record shop owner and music producer, and Beatriz Olave, a songwriter and newsstand owner, Rodrigo Bueno was born into the cuarteto musical scene in Córdoba, Argentina. He first appeared on television at the age of two, on the show Fiesta de Cuarteto, along with family friend Juan Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez. With the help of his father, he recorded an album of children's songs, Disco Baby, at the age of five. During his preteen years he informally joined the local band Chébere during live performances. He dropped out of school at the age of twelve and successfully auditioned for the band Manto Negro. After five years without success in Córdoba, Bueno's father decided to try to launch his son's career as a soloist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1990 Bueno released his first record, La Foto de tu Cuerpo, on Polygram Records. Bueno introduced his next album, Aprendiendo a Vivir, with a live performance at the nightclub Fantástico Bailable. The performance brought him his first recognition in the tropical music scene.
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Politician
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the seventh President of Argentina. His writing spanned a wide range of genres and topics, from journalism to autobiography, to political philosophy and history. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the Generation of 1837, who had a great influence on nineteenth-century Argentina. He was particularly concerned with educational issues and was also an important influence on the region's literature. Sarmiento grew up in a poor but politically active family that paved the way for much of his future accomplishments. Between 1843 and 1850 he was frequently in exile, and wrote in both Chile and in Argentina. His greatest literary achievement was Facundo, a critique of Juan Manuel de Rosas, that Sarmiento wrote while working for the newspaper El Progreso during his exile in Chile. The book brought him far more than just literary recognition; he expended his efforts and energy on the war against dictatorships, specifically that of Rosas, and contrasted enlightened Europe—a world where, in his eyes, democracy, social services, and intelligent thought were valued—with the barbarism of the gaucho and especially the caudillo, the ruthless strongmen of nineteenth-century Argentina.
Gabriel Vicentico
Ska Artist
Gabriel Julio Fernández Capello "Vicentico" (24 de julio de 1964, Buenos Aires, Argentina) es un músico y compositor de nacionalidad argentina. Cofundador y vocalista de la banda Los Fabulosos Cadillacs junto con Flavio Cianciarulo. Perteneció a esta agrupación desde su creación en 1984 hasta el año 2001, cuando comenzó su carrera como solista. Está casado con la actriz argentina Valeria Bertuccelli, con quien tiene dos hijos. En Vicentico, su primer disco solista, Vicentico se manifiesta con una serie interminable de ritmos, que van desde lo “fabuloso”, pasando por la bossa nova, lo gitano, y las baladas. Los tambores muy presentes en casi todo el disco le dan a la voz de Vicentico una identidad única. Logrando de ésta manera un álbum excepcional que cuenta con 12 temas, de los cuales 11 son de su autoría. “Se despierta la ciudad” elegido como el primer single, logra la fuerza que cualquier intérprete querría para sí mismo; es un cachetazo de realidad. “Básicamente habla del pánico que se vive en la ciudad y de cómo muchas veces en medio de esta gran incongruencia que vivimos, todo empieza a confundirse y no se sabe bien quién es la víctima y quién el victimario. Y no está claro si el que roba es un zarpado o un pobre tipo al que no le queda otra. De pronto ves que un hombre grande que va en un auto sube los cristales y traba las puertas por miedo cuando en un semáforo se le acerca un nenito de cinco años”. Para Los rayos, su segunda producción, lo acompañan: Dani Buira (batería y percusión), Daniel Castro (bajo y contrabajo), Marcelo Muir (guitarras y coros), Juampi Di Saverio (coros), Y una sección de vientos integrada por: Ervin Stutz (trompeta, fliscorno y trombón), Alejo von der Pahlen (saxo soprano, alto, tenor, barítono y flauta) y Juan Scalona (trombón), más la participación especial de Flavio Cianciarulo con su bajo en Tiburón y Julieta Venegas en voz y acordeón a piano en El tonto. El tercer álbum solista fue Los pájaros (2006). Con la producción del mismo Vicentico, contó como invitados con Andrés Calamaro, Gringui Herrera, Lucho González, Daniel Melingo, Florián Fernández Capello, Flavio Cianciarulo y Valentino. En 2010 publicó su cuarto álbum de estudio titulado Sólo un momento.
Horacio Zeballos
Tennis Player
Horacio Zeballos, Jr. is a professional Argentine tennis player on the men's circuit. His career-high singles ranking is world no. 39, which he achieved in March 2013. His highest doubles ranking to date has been world no. 32, in October 2010. He has played most of his tennis on the Challenger events. He qualified for the US Open and defeated Michael Berrer in the first round for his first win at Grand Slam level, before losing to Tomáš Berdych in four sets in the second round. He reached the final in the St. Petersburg Open in Russia, losing to Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky. He also reached the doubles final at the Movistar Open in Santiago in 2010, partnered with Potito Starace. They lost to top seeds, Łukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach. He then won the title in doubles at the Copa Telmex with Sebastián Prieto. Zeballos won the 2009 ATP Newcomer of the Year award on 17 February 2010. Zeballos won his first pro title in 2013 at the VTR Open in Chile on 10 February. In the final, he beat Rafael Nadal, becoming only the third player to beat the former world no. 1 in a clay-court final.
Esteban Cambiasso
Soccer
Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau, nicknamed "Cuchu", is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Internazionale in the Italian Serie A. He plays as a defensive midfielder. During his professional career, Cambiasso has won 23 official titles, being the Argentine footballer with most honours in history, one more than Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Maxi López
Soccer
Maximiliano Gastón López is an Argentine professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Serie A club Catania. López holds both an Argentine and an Italian passport.
Mauro Zárate
Soccer
Mauro Matías Zárate is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Vélez Sársfield. Zárate started his career with Vélez Sársfield in his native country, playing three years for the team and winning the Primera División title in the 2005 Clausura tournament. He later signed for Qatari side Al-Sadd in 2008, where he played only six months before transferring on loan to Birmingham City in England. However, after Birmingham's relegation, Zárate was loaned out again, this time to Lazio in Italy. With Lazio, the forward won the Coppa Italia during his first season. At the end of his debut season, his move to Lazio was made permanent for a fee of around €20 million, with a €60 million buy-out clause. In international football, Zárate scored the winning goal as the Argentina under-20 team won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup final.
Luis Alberto Spinetta
Blues Artist
Luis Alberto "El Flaco" Spinetta was an Argentine musician. As one of the most influential rock musicians of South America, together with Charly García is considered the father of Argentine rock. He was born in Buenos Aires in the residential neighbourhood of Belgrano. During his early childhood he was already listening to all kinds of music: folklore and tango, and a little bit later, rock. In 1967, amidst the repressive political climate, he formed a band called Almendra with his schoolmates. Contrasting with the backwards and authoritarian government of General Juan Carlos Onganía, Buenos Aires was undergoing a cultural blossoming based on new art expressions; the new generation, among sons of the middle class, were immersed in an effervescence that would not reappear in Argentina until 1983. Spinetta devoted himself fully to his own music. In his lyrics, there are influences of multiple writers, poets and artists like Arthur Rimbaud, Vincent van Gogh, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Carlos Castaneda and Antonin Artaud, who has his name in the album Artaud. On 23 December 2011 he published on the Twitter account of his son Dante that he was facing lung cancer. He died on February 8, 2012 in his native Argentina, at the age of 62. His ashes were scattered in the waters of the Río de la Plata, according to his last wish, next to the Memory Park built to remember the desaparecidos of the National Reorganization Process.
Walter Samuel
Soccer
Walter Adrián Luján Samuel is an Argentine footballer who plays for Internazionale. Samuel has been regarded as one of football's toughest defenders, with teammate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti referring to him as the "hardest player" he has played with. Gifted with natural power and pace, Samuel played a key role in Inter's treble success in the 2009–10 season under José Mourinho and has accumulated over 50 caps for the Argentine national team. His strong, uncompromising style of play has earnt him the nickname Il Muro.
Christian Giménez
Soccer Midfielder
Christian Estuardo Giménez known as El Chaco is a professional footballer who plays for Cruz Azul in Mexico's professional league, the Mexican First Division. Labeled an Attacking Midfielder, Giménez is one of many talented players to be exported from Boca Juniors. He is known for his strong shot and "vision to exploit the whole pitch with his range of passing."
Diego Torres
Pop rock Artist
Diego Antonio Caccia Torres, also known as Diego Torres, is an Argentine two Grammy Award-nominated pop singer, songwriter, composer, musician and actor. He is the son of the legendary argentine artist Lolita Torres.
Sandro de América
Latin pop Artist
Roberto Julio Sánchez, better known by his artist names Sandro/Sandro de América, Gitano, and the Argentine Elvis, was a notable Argentine singer and actor. He is considered one of the first rock artists to sing in Spanish in Latin America. He edited 52 official records and sold 8 million copies although other sources state that he sold over 22 million. Some of his most successful songs are Dame fuego, Rosa, Rosa, Quiero llenarme de ti, Penumbras, Porque yo te amo, Así, Mi amigo el Puma, Tengo, Trigal, Una muchacha y una guitarra. Only the single Rosa, Rosa sold 2 million copies, being also his most recognizable and famous song. Other of his hits, "Tengo", was placed 15th amongst the 100 best Argentine rock songs by both MTV channel and Rolling Stone magazine. Sandro was also the first Latin American artist to sing at Madison Square Garden, in 1970. In 2005 Sandro was awarded with a Latin Grammy honoring his career.
Chenoa
Latin pop Artist
María Laura Corradini Falomir, popularly known as Chenoa is an Argentine-Spanish female music artist who became successful after appearing on the TV contest Operación Triunfo. Her music style could be described in the United States as pop. Most of her music is in Spanish, although a few tracks on some albums were recorded in English. Although her albums are not readily available in the U.S. record shelves as they are in Spain and Latin America, they can be found on the Internet. She has sold more than 1,000,000 records since 2002.
Luis Bacalov
Film score Artist
Luis Enríquez Bacalov is a prolific Argentino-Italian, composer of film scores. Early on in his career, he composed scores for Spaghetti Western films. In the early 1970s, he collaborated with Italian progressive rock bands. Bacalov has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Original Score, winning it in 1996 for Il Postino. Bacalov has composed significant works for chorus and orchestra. Presently he is the artistic director of the Orchestra della Magna Grecia in Taranto, Italy.
Rodrigo Palacio
Soccer
Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio is an Argentine footballer currently playing for Internazionale in Serie A. He is the son of José Ramón Palacio, a historic player of Olimpo de Bahia Blanca during the 1980s. Palacio holds a Spanish passport, allowing him to be counted as an EU player.
Isabel Martínez de Perón
Politician
María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón, better known as Isabel Martínez de Perón or Isabel Perón, is a former President of Argentina. She was the third wife of the former President, Juan Perón. During her husband's third term as president from 1973 to 1974, Isabel served as both vice president and First Lady. Following her husband's death in office in 1974, Isabel served as president from 1 July 1974 to 24 March 1976. She was the first non-royal female head of state and head of government in the Western Hemisphere in modern times. In 2007, an Argentine judge ordered the arrest of Isabel Perón over the forced disappearance of an activist in February 1976, on the grounds that the disappearance was authorized by her signing of decrees allowing Argentina's armed forces to take action against "subversives". She was arrested near her home in Spain on 12 January 2007. Spanish courts subsequently refused her extradition to Argentina.
Facundo Cabral
Folk rock Artist
Facundo Cabral was an Argentine singer, songwriter and philosopher. He was best known as the composer of "No soy de aquí ni soy de allá", which he improvised during one of his concerts. His songs have been covered by Spanish language interpreters such as Alberto Cortez, who was also a friend of his, Juan Luis Guerra and Joan Manuel Serrat. After touring the world, Cabral enjoyed popularity in his home country during the early 1980s, when Argentine radio demanded local content after the Malvinas War. He was enormously popular in all Latin American countries; when he performed in Peru or Mexico, which he called his second home, tickets were sold out long before the performance date. Facundo Cabral was named a United Nations Messengers of Peace in 1996.