Legendary Telemundo soccer announcer Andrés Cantor’s emotional response after Argentina beat France in the World Cup is going viral. Video of his reaction shows him barely able to contain his excitement at the moment of triumph.
Cantor, who is known for shouting his prolonged “Gooooooool!” call in Spanish-language broadcasts, fought hold back tears after Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel converted the game-sealing penalty shot, giving the team the 4-2 score and the trophy. Following the kick, Cantor yelled “Argentina is champion of the world!” over and over in Spanish and hugged his broadcast partner, the former Argentinian soccer player Claudio Borghi.
Cantor told MSNBC on Monday that he thought the match was an “epic final” and reflected on the memorable call.
“I think the best I’ve seen in my lifetime,” he said. “Such a roller coaster of emotions. I was trying to be cool, calm, collected for the final Argentina penalty kick, but then emotions got to me.”
“My call of ‘Argentina, campeón del mundo!’ — ‘Argentina, champion of the world!’ — has been 36 and a half years in the waiting,” he added.
The moment resonated with many who listened to his voice crack, as Cantor transformed from professional sportscaster into pure, joyful fandom. The TikTok uploaded on his page of the call had more than 200,000 views, but other reposted videos on Twitter had millions.
The 59-year-old sportscaster was born in Argentina and lived there before moving to the U.S. as a teen. This was Argentina’s third World Cup title — but the first that fans have witnessed in more than three decades. The last time Argentina took home the trophy was in 1986, when the late Diego Maradona led the team.
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