THOUSANDS of fans lined up in the middle of the night in order to catch a glimpse of the Argentina team that won the Qatar 2022 World Cup final on Sunday.
Tuesday has been declared as a public holiday in the country as the day is scheduled to be a day of celebrations in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city.
Members of the squad, led by captain Lionel Messi, were all smiles as they descended from the plane shortly before 3am on today on to a red carpet rolled out for the squad.
Messi, who scored twice in the final and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, was the first player off the plane, carrying the World Cup, flanked by head coach Lionel Scaloni, who put his arm around the captain as they walked past a sign that read: “Thank you, champions.”
The players were welcomed by the rock band La Mosca singing Muchachos, a song that was written by a fan to the tune of an old song by the band and became a popular unofficial anthem for Argentina fans at the World Cup in Qatar, AP News reported.
The squad boarded an open-top bus and the players sang the words to Muchachos while they waited for everyone to get on to travel to the headquarters of the Argentinian Football Association.
The bus moved slowly as fans, many waving Argentina flags, swarmed the bus on a highway, eager to see the players as law enforcement officers tried to keep them at bay. Throughout the trip, Messi held the World Cup as players waved to fans and often sang along with them.
It took the bus about an hour to travel approximately 11km (6.8 miles) to the AFA headquarters, where the players were welcomed with fireworks.
They were due to sleep there for a few hours before boarding the bus to the Obelisk, the iconic Buenos Aires landmark that was a sea of people on Sunday after the team won the country’s third World Cup, and its first since 1986.
The country’s president, Alberto Fernández, declared today a national holiday so the country could celebrate. As the plane carrying the players got closer to Argentinian soil, almost 200,000 people were tracking its path online and news channels aired live coverage of the arrival.
Yesterday, people started arriving at the airport and outside the AFA headquarters. Many were also already at the Obelisk, seemingly ready to spend the night there to ensure a prime spot for today’s festivities.
Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties at the Lusail Stadium after full-time and extra-time ended 3-3.
It is their first World Cup triumph since 1986 but their third trophy since 2021 following success in the Copa America in Brazil and the Finalissimo against European champions Italy.
