Friday night's clash between Argentina and Cape Verde in Miami might have felt a world away from Lancashire, but there was a time when South American football royalty graced our county – albeit in rather unexpected fashion.
It was the summer of 2012, Royal Lytham & St Annes was hosting The Open Championship, and one of the most recognisable footballers on the planet was striding across the Lancashire fairways with a bag of clubs almost as big as himself.
Carlos Tevez – Premier League winner, international superstar and then one of English football's most controversial figures – had turned up to caddie.
Romero had not informed the R&A of the late caddie change, leaving officials surprised when Tevez appeared carrying the bag on Sunday morning.
It remains one of the most wonderfully bizarre sporting stories to have taken place on the Lancashire coast.
How it came about
Tevez had arrived at Lytham on the Saturday as a spectator, coming to watch his close friend and compatriot Andrés Romero compete in the third round of The Open.
The pair had first met at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale and had stayed in touch, occasionally playing together back in Buenos Aires.
Romero's third round did not go well.
He shot a 77 to slip back down the leaderboard, and that evening Tevez went to his house with a proposition.
He asked if he could carry the bag on Sunday.
Romero said yes, gave his regular caddie Aníbal Núñez the day off, and the pair headed out together on Sunday morning – the fifth pairing of the day – alongside American Chad Campbell, in what became one of the most unexpected final rounds in Open history.
On the course
Wearing a blue cap and top, Tevez carried the bag across all 18 holes at one of the world's most celebrated links courses.
He could not advise on the slopes, the breaks on the greens or the subtleties of links golf – but he carried the bag, kept the mood light and walked every hole by his friend's side.
It did not help.
Romero shot an 82, finishing 12 over par for the day and last among the 83 players who completed all four rounds. Tevez was unbothered.
"The chance to walk along the course and be around these great players is a pleasure and something unforgettable.
"I couldn't give any advice about the slopes but I just carried the bag and supported him each hole.
"We worked together very well."
Romero saw the funny side too.
"We really enjoyed the day but I've not paid Carlos yet – we will see.
"I was playing really badly so we weren't talking about golf at all."
The R&A was not laughing
Jim McArthur, chairman of the R&A Championship Committee, was considerably less amused.
"He never put the bag down, even when he was standing on the green – it's just absolute madness," McArthur told reporters.
"I think we need to look at this particular case.
"We normally get a list of caddies at the start of the week."
The problem was not just the impromptu nature of the arrangement.
Caddies at The Open are accredited in advance for security and operational reasons, and officials were particularly unhappy that Tevez carried the bag across the putting greens rather than leaving it beside them.
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The R&A said it would review the incident and its caddie accreditation procedures after officials were caught off guard by the late change.
Why the timing made it even funnier
To understand why the story landed with such impact, you have to remember what Carlos Tevez had spent the previous winter doing.
In September 2011, he had fallen out spectacularly with Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini after refusing to warm up as a substitute during a Champions League match in Munich.
What followed was a five-month absence from the first team during which Tevez was repeatedly photographed playing golf in Argentina.
By the time he turned up at Lytham in July 2012, he had returned to City's squad and helped the club win one of the most dramatic Premier League titles in history – sealed by Sergio Agüero's famous stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers.
And then he went and caddied at The Open without telling anyone in advance.
For Lancashire, and for Lytham in particular, it remains a piece of sporting folklore – the week the Claret Jug came to the coast and an Argentinian superstar unexpectedly picked up a golf bag.
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