Argentina, minus Messi, return home after World Cup final heartbreak

Thousands hold to greet the team, who instrumentality without skipper Messi and a fewer different players aft the World Cup.

Thousands of Argentinians lined up to invited their shot team, who returned without iconic skipper Lionel Messi and a fewer different players aft their nonaccomplishment to Spain successful the World Cup last successful the United States.

The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) said connected Monday that immoderate squad members would not beryllium connected the flight, and Messi was not seen descending from the craft successful images broadcast connected section television.

Coach Lionel Scaloni and the remainder of the squad were welcomed with a reddish carpet extracurricular the craft and a subject band.

Thousands of fans braved the acold and the rain, waiting extracurricular the AFA grooming analyzable adjacent the Ezeiza planetary airdrome to invited location the players, draped successful flags and holding blue-and-white umbrellas to shield them from the drizzle.

It was not the homecoming Argentinians had hoped for, 4 years aft millions filled the streets to observe their team’s triumph successful 2022, but galore turned retired to convey the squad for their performance.

A instrumentality waves a emblem bearing images of Messi [Luis Robayo/AFP]

‘Thank you to Messi’

“Argentinians volition observe anyway,” said Marga Ledezma, 36, who thanked Messi for “all the years helium made america happy”, urging him not to discontinue playing for Argentina.

Argentina mislaid 1-0 to Spain, failing to triumph back-to-back World Cups successful a lucifer that has been criticised for a plethora of fouls and displays of mediocre sportsmanship from La Albiceleste.

“I deliberation they criticise america due to the fact that we cognize what it’s similar to suffer, that we get up, we autumn down again, and we support going,” said Ledezma.

Many fans highlighted that the existent triumph for Argentina was the 2-1 semifinal triumph implicit England, played against the backdrop of a lingering quality betwixt the countries implicit the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

“This squad agreed america all, and we should beryllium grateful for that. We volition ever beryllium determination for them, rainfall oregon shine. I would accidental convey you to Messi, and that helium gave it his all,” said Leonardo Barrientos, 36, who works successful a textile workshop.

Maria Ortiz, 28, came to invited the squad with her two-year-old, and said that Spain “deserved the win” but she was “happy for what the squad gave us”.

While crestfallen aft the loss, thousands of Argentinians headed to the accepted solemnisation constituent astatine the Obelisk successful Buenos Aires, wherever they partied for hours connected Sunday evening, with fireworks and gratitude for their team.

Late astatine night, little clashes broke retired astatine the monument, and constabulary utilized h2o cannon, teardrop gas, and rubber bullets to disperse revellers. Fifteen radical were detained, according to constabulary sources.