Tevez refused to learn English because his uncle fought and suffered in the Falklands War

Carlos Tevez has revealed that his refusal to learn English during seven years playing in the country was rooted in the Falklands War — specifically the trauma suffered by his uncle, who was conscripted to fight for Argentina in 1982.

Speaking to DSportsRadio in Argentina in 2023, Tevez explained that his uncle had been on the verge of making his first-team debut for River Plate when he was called up to serve. He survived the 74-day conflict, but the experience left a permanent mark. “He suffered after that and became an alcoholic,” Tevez said. “That marked me a lot because he was very close to me.”

The revelation sheds new light on Tevez’s famously insular time in English football. Despite winning the Premier League with both Manchester United and Manchester City, and lifting the Champions League with United, the Argentine forward made a conscious decision never to engage with the language or culture of the country. “I had a cultural problem with the English,” he said. “I didn’t want to learn English, I wanted them to learn Spanish.”

His position was unambiguous: “OK, I’m here for work but I’m not getting used to English culture. You want to speak to me, then you learn Spanish because I’m not going to learn English. Very few people know this story but today I can tell it.”

Tevez first arrived in England with West Ham in 2006 before joining United on a two-year loan, during which he won back-to-back Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League. His subsequent move across Manchester to City proved controversial, but he continued to collect silverware under Roberto Mancini.

The 42-year-old earned 76 caps for Argentina, scoring 13 goals. He was part of the side that won Olympic gold at Athens 2004 and represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals on both occasions, though he never won a senior international trophy. He was a three-time Copa America runner-up.

The Falklands War, known in Argentina as the Guerra de las Malvinas, resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentine and 255 British military personnel, along with three civilians. Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the islands.