Hundreds wait to greet the workforce, who return with out captain Messi and some different gamers after the World Cup.
Revealed On 20 Jul 2026
Hundreds of Argentinians lined as much as welcome their soccer workforce, who returned with out iconic captain Lionel Messi and some different gamers after their loss to Spain within the World Cup last in the USA.
The Argentinian Soccer Affiliation (AFA) stated on Monday that some squad members wouldn’t be on the flight, and Messi was not seen descending from the plane in photographs broadcast on native tv.
Coach Lionel Scaloni and the remainder of the workforce had been welcomed with a pink carpet exterior the plane and a army band.
Hundreds of followers braved the chilly and the rain, ready exterior the AFA coaching advanced close to the Ezeiza worldwide airport to welcome residence the gamers, draped in flags and holding blue-and-white umbrellas to protect them from the drizzle.
It was not the homecoming Argentinians had hoped for, 4 years after thousands and thousands stuffed the streets to have a good time their workforce’s victory in 2022, however many turned out to thank the workforce for his or her efficiency.
‘Thanks to Messi’
“Argentinians will have a good time anyway,” stated Marga Ledezma, 36, who thanked Messi for “all of the years he made us completely satisfied”, urging him to not give up enjoying for Argentina.
Argentina misplaced 1-0 to Spain, failing to win back-to-back World Cups in a match that has been criticised for a plethora of fouls and shows of poor sportsmanship from La Albiceleste.
“I feel they criticise us as a result of we all know what it’s prefer to undergo, that we rise up, we fall down once more, and we maintain going,” stated Ledezma.
Many followers highlighted that the true victory for Argentina was the 2-1 semifinal win over England, performed in opposition to the backdrop of a lingering dispute between the international locations over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
“This workforce united us all, and we must always be glad about that. We’ll at all times be there for them, rain or shine. I might say thanks to Messi, and that he gave it his all,” stated Leonardo Barrientos, 36, who works in a textile workshop.
Maria Ortiz, 28, got here to welcome the workforce together with her two-year-old, and stated that Spain “deserved the win” however she was “completely satisfied for what the workforce gave us”.
Whereas crestfallen after the loss, hundreds of Argentinians headed to the standard celebration level on the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, the place they partied for hours on Sunday night, with fireworks and gratitude for his or her workforce.
Late at night time, temporary clashes broke out on the monument, and police used water cannon, tear fuel, and rubber bullets to disperse revellers. Fifteen individuals had been detained, in line with police sources.
