People flocked to the exclusive Don Julio restaurant, eager to see the man who led Argentina to the World Cup title. In the end, it took a police escort to escort Messi, 35, to his car, keeping fans away from him. He arrived in Argentina for a few days, taking advantage of the break granted by FIFA,Football,Soccer for national team matches.
Images and videos posted on social media showed a fever among fans who seemed ready to do anything to greet and touch the Paris Saint-Germain player. “Messi, I love you” and “Thank you Leo” are just some of the phrases that could be heard as he was escorted out of the restaurant. “Thank you for watching me captain, I can die in peace,” wrote one Twitter user (banned in Russia), posting a video of a smiling Messi being escorted and shouting “I love you Leo!”. Fans around the corner chanted ‘Messi, Messi’ and sang the words ‘Muchachos’, which became the unofficial anthem of the Argentina national team as they beat France in a thrilling final in Qatar .
The scene, which took place outside the Argentine capital, famous for its bars and restaurants, illustrates how Messi has become like the late Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to a second FIFA,Football,Soccer Cup trophy. world in 1986, and he can no longer walk the streets. of Argentina, said the agency Associated press .
But it was not always so. The man, now hailed everywhere he goes, once suffered from the indifference and even apathy of many Argentine fans who blamed him for the country’s failures in previous championships. All this causticism led to the fact that Messi, who is often called the best player in the world, even left the national team in 2016, although he later returned to his team.
“What Leo is going through is great because he deserves all the love, him and all the players who are here,” coach Lionel Scaloni told a press conference on Tuesday. “Leo also needs to see that people love him and what happens when he comes here. I think it’s beautiful, it will stay with him forever,” he added.
Messi arrived in Argentina on Monday to celebrate the world title with a friendly against Panama on Thursday in Buenos Aires. 63,000 tickets were sold in the blink of an eye. Security officials have not released any details on how the team will travel to the stadium, fearing that fans will block roads and possibly block players’ passage. There were reports that players can arrive at the stadium by helicopter.
