Javier Milei’s emergence into politics and his meteoric rise to the presidency occurred to explain many things that were happening in Argentina. Among them, the crisis in the representativeness of traditional politics. This phenomenon is now reflected in the survey of the 100 most influential personalities that NOTICIAS has published since 1995. Never in history has this happened: The top ten is divided between five living characters and another five deceased.
For the third consecutive year, The President takes first place. Before 2018, it did not appear in the ranking that Giacobbe & Asociados carries out exclusively for NOTICIAS. Its growth was notable: in 2021 it was fourth, the following year second and since 2023 it has been in first place. The podium is a carbon copy of 2024: Milei is followed by another president, that of the United States. donald trump repeats second place and closes the top 3, the best-known Argentine athlete in the world, Lionel Messi.
From fourth place, the survey (conducted between December 5 and 16 throughout the country) gets a bit eclectic. There are multiple references to deceased heroes and personalities. José de San Martín occupies that place, sixth was René Favaloro, eighth was Diego Maradona followed by Manuel Belgrano. The top ten is closed by Juan Domingo Perón.
In the middle of them, former president Cristina Kirchner in position 5, the highest since 2017. And in the seventh, the new senator of the ruling party Patricia Bullrich, who re-enters the ten most influential after being absent in 2024.
Government.
Respondents also recognize the power of Milei’s Cabinet. A couple of them appear in the following positions in the ranking. Luis “Toto” Caputo, the Minister of Economy, is at 11. And “The Boss”, Karina Milei, the all-powerful Secretary General of the Presidency, occupies step 12. Then you have to go down to place number 28 to find the Chief of Staff, Manuel Adorni, and very close, in place 31, the former Minister of Defense, Luis Petri.
Number 45 is the president of Deputies, Martín Menem. And only in position 47 does the other vertex of the iron triangle appear: Santiago Caputo. In 60, and before other leaders who are still in office, is Guillermo Francos, despite the fact that, on the date the survey was carried out, the former Chief of Staff had been out of power for more than a month.
Diego Santilli is number 61 and the vice, Victoria Villarruel, is in position 73. At the bottom of the ranking are Sandra Petovello (91), Eduardo “Lule” Menem, in his first appearance (99) and number 100 is Federico Sturzenegger.
Mauricio Macri, Maradona and Jorge Lanata are the only ones who remain firm in the ranking in all their seasons. However, the former president’s influence is in crisis: he fell to 23rd place and it is the first time he has left the top ten since 2005.
The opposition did not fare better. Only Cristina in the top ten and, if it is about renewal, Axel Kicillof only appears in 18th place. You then have to reach step 52 to find Juan Grabois and step 54 to see Guillermo Moreno. In ’83, Miryam Bregman and nothing else.
If it is about opposition, there is an entry to the ranking that has to do with the scandal that Milei aimed his guns at: the leadership of the AFA. Claudio Tapia makes his debut among the most influential in the country amid a wave of suspicions over different cases of corruption in the management of Argentine soccer. He is in 79th place. Very close by is Ángel Di María, the world champion who was given a trophy for a championship that was not in anyone’s plans. It was the trigger for the controversy against “Chiqui”. Also reaching the ranking for the first time is his nemesis: Juan Sebastián Verón. “The Witch”, the president of Estudiantes who dared to rebel against the AFA, enters the most influential in position 79.
Crisis of representation.
The same phenomenon that happens in the top ten is repeated in the next ten steps. Of the 20 most influential people in Argentina, only half are alive.
The crisis fades throughout the survey. In total, there are 66 alive and 31 dead. The other three are legal entities. 77 are Argentine and 33 foreigners. And there is a marked predominance of men (80) over women (17). As usual, The survey is led by presidents (22), politicians (20) and journalists (14).
This 2025, the ranking of journalists is led by Mario Pergolini (34), who had a lot of impact due to his return to television. He is followed by someone who is no longer here: Jorge Lanata. And then, in 36th place, Jonatan Viale appears, followed by Eduardo Feinman, in 46th. Then, some critics of Milei: in 50th, Mirtha Legrand, in 62nd Jorge Rial and in 77th Viviana Canosa.
In the middle, influencers who have arrived at the Government. Daniel Parisini, known as “Fat Dan”, the best-known of the President’s tweeters, is in position 55. But he is not the first of them: Agustín Laje is a little further ahead, in 49th. Behind him, some libertarians who were excommunicated such as Emmanuel Dannan, in 70th place, and El Presto in 72nd.
If it is about businessmen, who Leading the list is Milei’s “friend” in the United States, Elon Musk. The founder of Tesla and Space All linked to the technology sector.
Among the most influential there is little place for artists. The first to appear is Carlos Gardel in position 67. The singer Lali Espósito, who had some clashes with the President, is on step 71. And an actor closes the podium: Guillermo Francella in 88th place. All of them are preceded by the media Wanda Nara in 53rd place.
There are only three people who are not physical, but legal: the IMF in 40th place, the Armed Forces in 66th and the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo who return after more than a decade of absence, in ’75.
In 2025, Milei continues to capture the greatest influence. But the fact that there are as many figures alive as those who are not in the top ten is a warning sign: it is the expression of those surveyed that the gap between citizens and their representatives is too wide.
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