“Mom, I want to see Messi, can we see him?” asked a boy as he ran through a nervous crowd to Paseo del Bajo in Buenos Aires. Millions of people descended on Tuesday in the center of the Argentine capital with the same goal: to see the soccer team and celebrate with them the world championship title, the first since 1986. What started as a party turned into absolute madness. Everything was overflowing and the players didn’t make it to the city on the open top bus they left Ezeiza on. The breaking point was when two people jumped off a bridge: one landed on the vehicle; the other fell on the people who followed them.
In the center of Buenos Aires, due to the lack of phone signal due to the crowds, it was impossible to know what was happening on the soccer players’ track. At eleven o’clock in the morning, before they left, it was no longer possible to approach the obelisk. Two hours later, fans occupied more than twenty blocks of 9 de Julio, the widest street in Buenos Aires through which the selection was supposed to go.
The authorities then reported a change of plan: For safety reasons, the team would not pass the Obelisk, the epicenter of the major football festivals in Argentina. People ran to the 25 de Mayo freeway and jumped the entry barriers. This route has also been disabled. From July 9th, people headed for the Paseo del Bajo, the new alternative route. Each change created some confusion and fear, but it quickly subsided once they reached the new goal.
All Argentines define Sunday in Qatar as a historic and unforgettable day. The triumph against France in the World Cup final allowed the under 36-year-olds to celebrate their first World Cup. For those over 44, it’s the third. Regardless of their age or distance from Buenos Aires, no one wanted to miss a celebration that united the entire country and put economic worries on the back burner for a few days.
“We arrived at five in the morning. When I finished my shift at the pizzeria, I went home, took a shower, woke the kids and we came here,” said Melina, who took refuge from the scorching sun in the trees in the square in front of the Teatro Colón, the Great Lyrical Colosseum in Buenos Aires Aires. “They say they don’t go to La Rosada, it’s a pity I wanted to see Messi on the balcony like Maradona,” added this 42-year-old woman, who was a girl when her father took her to cheer for Pelusa the victory against Germany at the World Cup in Mexico.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández decreed a public holiday so all fans could join in the celebrations. Despite the heat, crowds and hours of standing, many held out. The collective happiness was reflected in a flood of people who sang and jumped incessantly. “Guys, now we just have to celebrate, we’ve already won the third, we’re already world champions,” rang out in Buenos Aires for 48 hours when Argentina defeated France. “Olé, olé, the one who doesn’t jump is Mbappé,” says a new version of the popular anthem against England, dedicated today to the star of the French team.
This Tuesday’s concentration was one of the greatest in Argentina’s history. The local media speak of more than three million people. It was impossible to walk for many blocks; others had only the alternative of letting themselves be carried away by the flood of people. Those who came from far parked their cars on the sidewalks and fans climbed to every height imaginable – such as the roofs of kiosks, traffic lights, lampposts and bars – to get the best view of the party.
Carlos and Myriam, in their mid-thirties, came from Olavarría, more than 350 kilometers from Buenos Aires. They made their decision when they learned that the President had declared a holiday. “My dad didn’t come in ’86 and he always regretted it,” said Carlos after reassuring the early start was worth it. “It’s crazy, we’re the best fans in the world,” he said proudly. Beside him, teenagers threw carnival foam in the air and cheered on those who were running out of energy. “Give it, give it, champion.” The contagion effect was immediately noticeable: like a wave, the singing began to be reproduced over and over again down the avenue.
“I choose to believe”
The bus should arrive in Buenos Aires just after noon. At four o’clock in the afternoon some exhausted families returned home. The Obelisk and Plaza de Mayo, on the other hand, were still crowded as the sun began to wane. The heat and alcohol caused some fans to take off their jerseys and wave them in the air. “I choose to believe that they will come to say hello,” said one Argentine fan, referring to the phrase that became popular during the World Cup to highlight the ties between Qatar 2022 and Mexico 86.
The news that the players had gotten off the bus to board two helicopters raised hopes that they would reach, or at least fly over, the Casa Rosada. Seeing the helicopters over the Argentine government headquarters, some fans began jumping over the fences put up by the police, and others increased the pressure to get as close as possible. Faces of joy alternated with those of concern, especially from those who were trying to get out and couldn’t find a way.
The players’ early return to Ezeiza was a bucket of cold water. “We should have left when they landed,” complained a group of friends at the bus stop. A child cried uncontrollably. Other Argentines continued to walk and sing, encouraged by honking cars.
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