Argentine international Enrique Macaya Márquez is not your everyday sports commentator.
The 88-year-old holds the record for most FIFA World Cup appearances for journalists, even the revered Peter Drury does not come close to him.
Márquez, who hails from the same country with great footballers such as Lionel Messi and the late Diego Maradona has done commentary in 17 World Cups.
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The veteran journalist was on the commentary desk in the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Award-winning African sports journalist Saddick Adams praised Márquez urging Ghanaians to stop criticizing some of the local commentators.
“Argentina’s Enrique Macaya Márquez, at 88, was running commentary on Qatar vs Ecuador. He has been to every World Cup since 1958. This is his 17th World Cup.
“But I see some people aren’t happy that Kwabena Yeboah is still doing his job. He should quit and stay home jobless?,” he ended.
FIFA posted the number of World Cups that Márquez has graced since his maiden appearance with the caption “Happy birthday, Enrique Macaya Márquez!” before the start of the match between the hosts and Ecuador on Sunday, November 20, 2022.
He first commentated at the tournament 64 years ago, during the 1958 edition of the tournament which was staged in Sweden.
The journalist, who usually covers Formula One and Football, has worked for several media outlets including Fútbol de Primera, El Campeón, Noticias Gráficas and Ten Points Magazine.
Macaya authored a book titled "My World Cups" in 2018, where he described his experiences in covering the most watched sporting event in the world.
In the book, he named the Netherlands squad of 1974 as his favorite team.