Messi 'madness' in Argentina as world champions play first match
Lionel Messi
and his Argentina teammates will make a triumphant return in their homeland on
Thursday when they play their first match since winning the World Cup in Qatar.
More than
1.5 million fans applied for 63,000 available tickets for the match against
Central American minnows Panama at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires.
Football-mad
Argentines were out in even larger numbers following the Albiceleste's dramatic
penalty shoot-out victory over France in December. An estimated five million
people thronged the streets of Buenos Aires a few days later for the trophy
parade.
Such was the
multitude that the parade had to be abandoned long before it reached central
Buenos Aires as it was already hours behind schedule.
Messi had
been widely expected to retire from international football after the final in
Doha, in which he scored two goals and a shoot-out spot-kick, but the Paris
Saint-Germain forward said he wanted to carry on a bit longer so he could wear
the blue and white Argentina jersey as a world champion.
"He is
in good shape, he wants to keep coming. When he tells me that he doesn't feel
good, we'll see," coach Lionel Scaloni said on Tuesday.
"At the
moment he is happy with the national team."
The
expectation was slightly soured earlier this month when two men fired shots at
a closed supermarket belonging to the family of Messi's wife, before leaving a
menacing message aimed at the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"Messi,
we're waiting for you. Javkin is a narco, he won't take care of you," said
the handwritten message left on the ground, in reference to Pablo Javkin, the
mayor of Messi's hometown Rosario, around 320 kilometers north of Buenos Aires.
Messi,
though, has taken it all in his stride, as his father pointed out.
"I
spoke to the kid and he told me: 'relax'," Jorge Messi told reporters.
For the
mayor of Rosario, it was more of a publicity stunt than a genuine threat.
"What
story goes more quickly viral in the world than an attack on Messi?" said
Javkin.
While it may
not directly affect Messi, the incident did highlight a growing problem in the
35-year-old's home town.
Rosario is a
port city on the Parana river that has gradually become a nerve center for drug
trafficking and the most violent city in Argentina, with 287 murders in 2022.
'Everyone
will want to beat us'
A party
atmosphere is expected in Buenos Aires for the team's competitive homecoming.
With 20,000
places in the 83,000-capacity stadium reserved for invitees, the remaining
tickets were snapped up within two hours of going on sale.
The cheapest
cost 12,000 pesos ($60) up to 49,000 pesos ($245), which is more than half the
average monthly salary in the South American country.
Argentine
football federation president Claudio Tapia said the body had received more
than 130,000 requests for media accreditation, in a stadium that has capacity
for just 344 journalists.
"We
would love to be able to accommodate everyone, but we would need two ...
stadiums, just for journalists. The madness for Argentina is total," said
Tapia.
Those not
lucky enough to get inside the stadium will at least be able to watch the match
for free on television after the government decided to broadcast it freely.
Scaloni
promised them is that the team would not rest on their laurels, regardless of
the occasion or opponents.
"The
aim is to keep playing at the same level," he said.
"Now,
it will be harder than ever because everyone will want to beat us."
After
Thursday's match, Argentina will play the island of Curacao on Match 28 in
Santiago del Estero.
Want to send us a story? SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp 0743570000 or Submit on Citizen Digital or email wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment