The World Cup turned a remote South Atlantic archipelago, home to more sheep than people, into one of Argentina's most powerful cultural symbols.
The shift came after Argentina's players unfurled a banner declaring, "The Malvinas are Argentine," following their World Cup semifinal victory over England.
The moment reignited one of the country's deepest historical causes, carrying it onto T-shirts, bedroom walls, social media feeds and into everyday life for a new generation.
In the weeks since the tournament, the defining image across football-mad Argentina has not been Lionel Messi. Instead, it has been the crudely hand-painted banner proclaiming, "The Malvinas are Argentine."
The South Atlantic islands, known internationally as the Falkland Islands and in Argentina as the Malvinas, remain the subject of a long-standing sovereignty dispute between Argentina and Britain, which fought a 10-week war over the territory in 1982.
