ans gather in front of the Obelisk in support of Argentina's
player Lionel Messi, who recently announced his retirement from
international soccer, and to ask him to come back to the national squad
in Buenos Aires.
Hundreds of Argentines
protested in the pouring rain on Saturday, demanding that soccer star
Lionel Messi return to Argentina's national team after he unexpectedly
quit following a loss in the regional Copa America final.
Messi, a five-time World Player of the Year, has played in three Copa
America finals, in 2007, 2015, and 2016, as well as in the 2014 World
Cup final, losing every time. During the finals match with rival Chile
last week, he missed Argentina's opening penalty in the shootout after
the game ended 0-0 and was in tears sitting near the team dugout.
"I think this is it. It's over for me on the team," he told reporters shortly after the match.
Nevertheless, Argentines, at the urging of public figures such as
President Mauricio Macri and Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona,
gathered Saturday evening around the Obelisco, a monument on one of
Buenos Aires' central avenues where fans traditionally celebrate
sporting victories.
Waving banners that lauded Messi in superlative terms, they begged
the star to don the national squad's iconic blue and white stripes once
again.
"There's a saying that there's a Messi every 500 million years and
we're enjoying that, so we have to be grateful that we live in this
time," said fan Santiago Bordero.
After Argentina's loss against Chile in the final, which took place
in New Jersey, Messi returned to Argentina and spent time in his native
city of Rosario. He then went to the Bahamas on vacation, while many
Argentines awaited further statements from the star.
Argentina's national squad returns to action in September when it
takes on traditional rival Uruguay in a qualifying stage match for the
2018 World Cup.
Ranked third among teams in South America's CONMEBOL soccer
federation, Argentina is currently qualifying. However, after the team
scored only five of 12 goals in its last four matches when Messi was out
due to injury, Argentines had been anxious to see him return to the
field.
"He has to come back - excuse the emotion - but it's what I feel," said Juan Alberto Salas. "For me, he's exceptional, a god."
No comments:
Post a Comment