Several million Argentines invaded Buenos Aires on Tuesday to celebrate their world champions who returned at night, a disproportionate party, to the point of making it impossible to end the parade by bus, Messi and his teammates falling back on a helicopter flight.
Leaving at 11:45 (14:45 GMT) from the AFA headquarters, the Argentinian « tri-campeones » bus was to reach the Obelisk, the focal point of the celebrations. But he had only traveled about ten kilometers three hours later, slowed down along the way by tens of thousands of supporters, AFP noted.
“Moving to see your country like this”
From everywhere, from the suburbs of the capital, from the provinces, from Rosario 300 km away, they came, sometimes left in the middle of the night, taking advantage of a day declared a public holiday to come and share the intoxication of the 3rd world title, and invaded the capital in the early hours of the morning. Its avenues, then various squares, access ramps.
Nearly 4 hours before the departure of the bus, they were already several tens of thousands to hunt down the rooms shaded by 25 degrees, from 9 o’clock in the morning. » 36 years since we won… I was six when we won (the title) in 1986. I can’t say it with words, just with emotion “, dropped Paola Zattera, administrative officer.
Their but? Celebrate, commune, just” read » see. » Just being able to watch them go by is a lot! Just if Messi looks us in the eyes for a moment when I film for me, it’s good! declared, hilarious, Nicolas, 19 years old at the (Site notre bureau spécialisé) of the Obelisk. Hope frustrated in the end.
Messi says hello and thank you
On the night, Leo Messi was the first to appear on the flight deck of the sky and white plane flocked « one team, one country, one dream », brandishing the golden trophy of the World Cup, to win the red carpet rolled out on the tarmac at Ezeiza airport.
The players immediately boarded a white double-decker bus, flocked with 3 stars and the « campeon del mundo », for a few hours of rest at the nearby AFA complex. Acclaimed, already, by several thousand supporters, who had been camping for hours, ready to spend the night to be the first to greet the heroes.
«
good day “(Hello) posted Lionel Messi at the lever of the day on his Instagram account, accompanied by a photo of him asleep with the World Cup in his arms.
Then in a long message “ Thank you heart love! “, he wrote, saying that this Cup “ is for everyone, for those who have not succeeded in previous World Cups “, to this “magnificent group of players”, and to “Diego (Maradona), who encourages us from the sky”.
The highlight of the day was expected, at an increasingly uncertain time, around the Obelisk, on the route of a large loop that the « tri-campeones » were to take in town.
But quickly evaluating an impromptu change of route seemed an option, as empuntern avenue 9 de Julio, one of the widest in the world (140 m) seemed mission impossible, through the compact crowd.
« A bit of deception »
The delay taken by the bus was also beginning to cause concern: » They should decree tomorrow (Wednesday) holiday too said Claudia Nuñez, a 31-year-old employee. » There are people who have come since last night, and we hear that they couldn’t make it to the Obelisk. « .
The helicopter flight seems to confirm that the team did not show up on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, the Presidential Palace. The same place where Maradona appeared with the trophy after the last world title, in 1986.
Not for this Tuesday. Despite the consolation of knowing that the World Cup went well over the heads, from the Obelisk, in and helicopters, occupied by Messi, Scaloni and De Paul, according to a press release from the federal police.
» A little disappointing of course, everything could have been better organized so that we can enjoy something we haven’t enjoyed for 36 years. “, lamented Roman Garcia, administrative agent of 36 years.
