FIFA.com: What impact did the 1978 FIFA World Cup have on your footballing career and professional life?
Leopoldo Luque: It changed things; it divided my life into a before-(1978) and after-(1978). As a footballer, I started to become more famous across the globe. We'd go on a tour and journalists were clamouring to speak to us. Previously, when we'd been on tour with River Plate we were just another foreign team, but after the 1978 World Cup we were all proven internationals. We passed through France once, where we were making a two or three-hour stopover, and I remember that they interviewed us 17 times, and I'm not exaggerating. That's how much things had changed. We also benefited from increased status at an individual level. Talking and negotiating with the River (Plate) directors was certainly very different after 1978! There was a newfound respect. You stopped being the 'small dark-skinned lad who used to play football on the wastelands'. I noticed that, from that point on, people in and around football began to accept us. Previously footballers would be subject to a certain level of prejudice. Especially from big TV stars and presenters. Nowadays when Diego (Maradona) goes on television they kiss him on the lips, but before he became who he is today, they'd say, "Oh no, now I've got to put up with that little dark-skinned man." So Argentine football as a whole changed.

A lot has been said about Cesar Menotti's influence on the Argentine game. How would you describe it?
Menotti earned our respect, he made an awful lot of call-ups and gave everybody the chance to play and prove their worth. He compiled a list of 60 players and got the AFA executives and presidents to sign a letter guaranteeing that these players wouldn't be sold to foreign clubs, so that he could work with us all at our squad get-togethers. I don't know if Menotti worked hard or not; what I do know is that he assembled a group of players that did everything he asked of them, especially when it came to fighting for the team. I don't know if we were the best players around or even if I was the ideal centre forward for the national team. There were two or three other players who maybe had a stronger case for inclusion at the time, but in hindsight I'm not so sure. What I do know is that Menotti called us up, won us over and turned us into the best.

Being the host nation put extra pressure on you as a team. How did Menotti handle the situation?
Menotti was good at handling the players and knew how to take the pressure off. It was his best asset and ended up being extremely important. Menotti used to say: "Lads, go out and play." Other times he'd ask: "Lads, what do you say to your family when you leave the house? You say 'I'm off because I've got a game tomorrow. I'm not going off to war, I'm going to play football - it's a game.' Win, lose or draw, it's not a matter of life or death."

What is your fondest memory from that title win?
The day of the Final against the Netherlands. When the referee blew the final whistle, (Omar) Larrosa suddenly leapt into the air, higher than I'd ever seen him jump in a game. He raised his arms in the air and said to me "Leo's the champion, Leo's the champion!" I think that it was the greatest moment of my footballing career. I'd achieved a lot in my career, like winning the championship with River, but that moment was like touching heaven with my hands.

Which of the goals you scored at Argentina 1978 did you enjoy most?
The goal against France was the most spectacular and the most important, because it was a long-range strike which caught the keeper off guard. The move began in midfield when (Americo) Gallego won the ball and laid it off to (Osvaldo) Ardiles. Ardiles carried the ball a few metres forward and passed it to me. The idea was to give it back to him to play a one-two, but he was being marked so I decided to have a pop at goal, mainly because Marius Tresor, who was about two metres tall, was approaching fast. So I smacked it hard towards goal and it sneaked in. Everybody went wild; we were a bit taken aback. France had a fantastic team but, with God's help, that beautiful goal helped us through to the next round.

How big a part did the fans play in your success?
A huge part, because they supported us all the way through. That said, we often have to think twice before saying that the fans helped us. That's because, without wanting to, they put you under even more pressure. On the journey from our training base to the Estadio Monumental, the bus could only move at walking pace because of the sheer amount of people crowding around: men, children, old men, women... So you look at them and say to yourself, "How can I make all these people happy? What if I let them all down?" The fans help you by shouting and cheering you on, but in turn they burden you with responsibility. And they make you say to yourself, "I can't let these people down".

Was the game against Peru a turning point for squad morale?
First of all, I remember we were all waiting intently for news of the Brazil-Poland game. The groundsman brought a small radio into the changing room and we heard that Brazil were winning 3-1. We were all visibly concerned, thinking "we've got to score four goals". And it's not easy to score four goals. The opening minutes were end-to-end stuff, with both sides taking turns in attack. We started to settle down and scored two goals in the first half; that made us feel as if we could get two more in the second. Our team used to put the opposition under pressure and when we got the ball back we'd play our football. Anyway, I think that we'd already got our four goals after eight second-half minutes.

In the closing minutes of the Final, the Netherlands almost won the game with a shot that came back off the post. Can you remember what happened?
Everybody asks me that question. I have to say that what struck me about that moment was the silence. The entire stadium held its breath. The ball hit the post, bounced off and rolled out, and thankfully none of their players were nearby. Gallego cleared it towards the halfway line and a huge roar went up, as if we'd scored a goal.

What do you remember about the first time you got your hands on the Trophy?
We went back to the dressing room, had a wash and went back out to receive it. The euphoria had receded slightly by then. At that point I started thinking about my brother, who had died during that World Cup. I remember raising it into the air and kissing it, that's what I'd always seen everybody else do. I felt incredibly emotional but they were conflicting emotions. At the time you don't realise what it is, what it all means. I think that you get more excited later on, about 20 or 30 days afterwards, when one of your mates calls you and asks you what it was like. The moment you're raising it up in the air you don't realise what it is, what it means.

Was that Final the crowning moment of your career?
Yes, of course. I think that there were other important achievements in my career, but that was the pinnacle.

How does it feel to hold the Cup in your hands again?
I'm at a loss for words, I'm close to tears. I didn't expect this. This is a huge thrill.
If you were to see this Trophy exhibited in an art gallery, what would you say?
In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than this. This is priceless. We committed ourselves to achieving this, we sacrificed so much and you can't put a value on what it means. To see it again is an enormous thrill. It's beautiful.