Former player & current coach Diego Maradona in a 1978 ad for long-time Argentina sponsor, Coca-Cola.

While some say beef is Argentina’s finest export, most European soccer club owners would politely disagree. The rosters of Europe’s legendary club teams are stacked with young players from Argentina like Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuain. And while these talented twenty-somethings are gearing up for a match next week in Germany and this summer’s World Cup in South Africa, a recently announced agreement should raise the team’s profile and following in the United States. The Argentina Football Association (AFA) just inked a deal with a Chicago-based marketing group committing the National Team to four “friendly” matches in the U.S. between now and 2014.  AFA agent Guillermo Toffoni explained the branding significance of the deal to Reuters: “We want to open the market for the national team which is a very strong brand. It’s a brand that is as strong as or stronger than that of Real Madrid or Barcelona.” (Article) The global appeal of Argentina’s National Team is evident in the current roster of multinational Official Sponsors including Coca-Cola, VW, Adidas, Quilmes, YPF, Italcred, Standard Bank and Claro. While Brazil, Spain and England are more favored to win this year’s World Cup, odds are good the brand called Argentina will broaden it’s U.S. appeal beginning with the first friendly this September.