Who is Aaron Judge?

The question may seem strange to anyone in the baseball-loving universe, stretching from Japan, Taiwan and Korea across the Pacific to Canada, the United States, and Latin America.

But while the Yankees slugger is easily recognizable in New York, Tokyo, or Havana, his status in the rest of the world appears to be lacking, as shown by recent op-ed from a top Argentinian news outlet.

Clarin's sports editors published a column this week rebuking TIME Magazine for picking Judge as their 'Athlete of the Year' over Argentinian soccer phenom and World Cup champion, Lionel Messi.

'[Messi] closed an unforgettable season to be considered by the rest of the world as the best athlete of the year,' read a translated version of the piece.

The unnamed writer does acknowledge that Time's decision was announced on December 6 before Messi and Argentina beat France in a thrilling World Cup final 12 days later. 

The remainder of the article is largely focused on Judge, who is referred to as 'a baseball star who was chosen as the 'athlete of the year' in the United States over world champion Lionel Messi.'

The writer's befuddlement is understandable to a degree. Judge may have hit 62 home runs this year to break Roger Maris' team and American League record of 61, but baseball is an oddity throughout much of the continent.

Baseball's inroads in South America effectively end with Caribbean-facing Venezuela, a country that has produced Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana, Luis Aparicio, and Andrés Galarraga. Neighboring Colombia can claim its share of players, such as Orlando Cabrera and Édgar Rentería, but it's safe to say that the rest of the continent is firmly focused on soccer, and Argentina is no exception.

The writer attempts an apples-to-apples comparison between Judge and Messi's current contracts, noting that it's the soccer star who is paid more, in spite of the slugger's new nine-year, $360million deal in the Bronx.

'The biggest contract of all time, however, belongs to Lionel Messi , when he signed a four-year, $674 million deal with Barcelona,' read the article's translated version.

Messi's incredible 2022 is hardly diminished by Time's preference for Judge, but while he may not hold a grudge, Argentina's media remains a proud supporter of their national hero.