Andres Cantor Hopes for Messi Winner in World Cup Final

andres cantor said he has no idea how long his GOOOOOOOOAL call will last. He does hope it can stretch across a Lionel Messi winner in the World Cup final.

The veteran announcer is working his eighth World Cup, and Telemundo plans more than 700 hours of FIFA World Cup programming from June 11 to July 19. That package includes all 104 matches live, with 92 on Telemundo and 12 on Universo.

Cantor and Messi

Cantor tied his wish to the biggest possible moment: a final, Messi, and a goal that decides the title. "Hopefully the World Cup final with Messi scoring the winning goal, maybe I’ll give it a go."

He said the length of the call depends on the play, the importance of the goal and how much air he has in his lungs. If the moment is huge enough, he said he would yell GOOOAL three times.

Telemundo's 104 Matches

The broadcast scale gives that call a wide stage. Telemundo is airing every match live, and Cantor is part of a Spanish-language World Cup plan that reaches across the tournament from June 11 to July 19.

His role comes after almost 40 years on television calling games. Cantor said he once averaged 200 games per year early in his career, and he said some people who do not watch soccer regularly may think his goal call is a gimmick.

The Call's Long Run

He pushed back on that reading, saying he did not invent the Latin American way of calling goals and helped popularize it. He also said France and Argentina are teams to beat at the World Cup.

For Cantor, the final target is simple: one more chance for the long call to match the biggest goal of the tournament.