The iconic emblem that Argentina and its superstar Lionel Messi sport on their jerseys was originally designed by a Jewish superfan in the 1970s whose family had emigrated to Argentina from Ukraine.

Norberto “Toto” Rud, who belonged to a Jewish sports club, noticed that while some national teams wore a crest of some kind that made them easily identifiable, the striped uniforms of the Argentine team could barely be distinguished from others that also wore no crest on black-and-white TV. In 1976, Rud submitted his proposal for the now-famous symbol of a vertical shield with laurel branches on the bottom representing victory and three stars on top representing Argentina’s World Cup wins.

The design was accepted, with the crest becoming one of the most famous sports emblems in the world, as jerseys bearing the Argentine crest enjoy worldwide popularity.

Rud’s son Oliver told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that “As a son and a member of the Jewish community and as an Argentinian, it’s a source of pride. Every time I see Argentina’s national team crest, it still amazes me.”

Rud got to see Argentina win two World Cup championships, in 1978 and 1986, but he died in 2010 and never got to see the third.