Sports
Seventeen World Cups: FIFA recognizes renowned reporter who set record covering soccer championships
Argentine journalist Enrique Macaya Márquez has covered all editions of the World Cup since 1958 and in Qatar has set a new world record at the age of 88
December 12, 2022 10:51am
Updated: December 12, 2022 2:12pm
Argentina's national team dreams of winning the World Cup again with Lionel Messi, the best soccer player of this century, may be the star on the field, but there is another Argentinean who became a World Cup record man in Qatar, surpassing him: journalist and commentator Enrique Macaya Márquez, who at 88 years of age is covering his 17th World Cup.
Starting at the age of 23 journalist Macaya traveled to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and from then on he has covered each and every edition of the FIFA World Cup held since then.
Now, with his 17th, he has just set a new record among journalists. He celebrated his 88th birthday on the day of the opening match of Qatar 2022, which he commented on for the Argentine radio station D Sports with which he currently works.
El maestro Enrique Macaya Márquez analiza el juego entre Argentina y Holanda. También habló de la participación de Ecuador en el Mundial pic.twitter.com/lAQw2zsOiN
— @SanchezJoselo 🇪🇨 (@SanchezJoselo) December 9, 2022
In his extensive journalistic career, Macaya has seen Argentina win the trophy twice, in 1978 when Argentina hosted the World Cup, and again in Mexico in 1986.
He was also a direct witness of Diego Maradona's career, from the star player's first goal for Argentina in a 1979 match against Scotland in Glasgow to his crowning achievement in the World Cup with a historic goal against England.
Macaya has covered other legendary teams, such as Pele's Brazil in Mexico in 1970 and the the Netherlands' Total Soccer at the 1974 World Cup in Germany, even though they did not win the title.
Macaya Márquez worked for at least half a dozen radio stations, including Colonia, Belgrano, Provincia, Rivadavia, Mitre, La Red, and Del Plata.
He later became a familiar face in Argentina thanks to television, especially as host of the program Fútbol de Primera during the 1990s. The internationally renowned journalist has also been a columnist for newspapers such as Clarín and La Nación, all part of the impressive career of a legendary reporter who has participated in the most World Cups in the history of soccer.
