Argentinian world champion Papu Gomez has suffered painful sunburn after his team’s victory parade on an open-topped bus in Buenos Aires.
Days of celebration in the capital have grabbed global headlines since La Albiceleste defeated France 4-2 on penalties on Sunday night and the wild scenes turned from pure celebration to occasional chaos.
At times the party descended into chaos as so many people crowded the streets of Buenos Aires that the players had to be evacuated from their bus parade. One die-hard fan even fell off the team’s bus trying to land on it by jumping off a bridge.
And now Papu Gomez, one of Argentina’s football heroes, is among the casualties of the country’s wild celebrations.
Ouch! Argentine world champion Papu Gomez was covered in painful sunburn (pictured) after his team’s victory parade on an open-topped bus through Buenos Aires. Apparently taking the pain in stride, he wrote in a message to his fans, “I need aloe vera.”
The Buenos Aires midfielder was red as a lobster after a day of partying in the sun on the open-top tour bus that cruised through his hometown.
Pictures from around town showed the triumphant shirtless player basking in both glory and sunshine, with his world champion’s medal around his neck. Carefree, the 34-year-old was seen waving at fans and celebrating hard.
However, when Gomez got home in the open-top bus after the party, he wished he’d at least taken a moment to cover himself with sunscreen.
The player, who is currently at Spanish club Sevilla, had only one unburned area of skin – where his winner’s medal hung. But he seemed to take the pain in stride, writing in a message to his fans: “I need aloe vera.”
Pictured: Papu Gomez (right) is seen on Argentina’s open-top bus parade after winning the World Cup on Sunday. The 34-year-old suffered a sunburn after the parade. The player had only an unburned patch of skin – where his winner’s medal had hung
Pictured: Gomez is seen on the open-topped tour bus in an Argentinian bucket hat as he celebrates his team’s World Cup win
So many cheering, flag-waving fans poured through the capital that the players had to exit the open-air bus (pictured) that took them to Buenos Aires and board helicopters to fly over the capital in what the government called an air parade designated
He and his teammates spent so long on the bus due to so many people coming to say hello that it got stuck and only covered half of the planned route.
So many cheering, flag-waving fans streamed through the capital that the players had to exit the open-air bus that took them to Buenos Aires and board helicopters to fly over the capital in what the government called an air parade.
“The world champions fly the entire route in helicopters because it was impossible to continue by land due to the explosion of joy from the people,” wrote Gabriela Cerruti, spokeswoman for President Alberto Fernández, on social media.
The bus had cruised through the crowds at a snail’s pace for more than four hours before the interstate parade was called off.
But the players all smiled as they watched the crowd scramble to get as close to the bus as possible. According to local media, citing police sources, an estimated 4 million people were on the streets as of Tuesday afternoon.
Team captain Lionel Messi and the rest of the players waved to the huge crowd as they carried up the World Cup trophy after securing the country’s third title.
Papu Gomez of Argentina lifts the trophy after the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar December 18, 2022
Pictured: Papu Gomez is seen in a helicopter after the team’s tour bus stalled after being besieged by fans during his victory tour of Buenos Aires
After flying over key points where fans had gathered, the helicopters returned to the Argentine Football Federation’s headquarters outside the capital.
Some fans continued to celebrate in the streets, while others left Buenos Aires with long faces, complaining that they were unable to pay tribute to the team that brought home the country’s first World Cup trophy since 1986.
However, others accepted it.
“It’s crazy, it’s indescribable,” said Brian Andreassi, 23, as he walked through the city center in the team’s jersey. ‘There are no words for that.’
Sporadic clashes erupted between some stragglers and police around nightfall, when most of the fans were already pouring out of downtown Buenos Aires. According to local media reports, at least eight people were injured.
The incidents began when firefighters went to the obelisk, the Buenos Aires landmark that is traditionally the site of celebrations, to evict some people who had broken into the monument.
The World Cup and the success of Messi’s squad brought much-needed good news for a country that has been in an economic doldrums for years and suffers from one of the highest inflation rates in the world, with nearly 4 in 10 people living in poverty.