On December 18, 2022, the stands of the Lusail Stadium in Qatar were filled with fans cheering and screaming, decked out in white and blue. Argentina had just won the World Cup for the third time.
Around 89,000 spectators gathered in the Lusail Stadium, where the final for the 2022 World Cup took place. 1.5 billion people from all over the world watched as France and Argentina battled it out to see who would win the FIFA World Cup Trophy.
More than 50,000 of the 89,000 spectators were fans of Argentina. These supporters came not only from Argentina, but also from places like Bangladesh and India. Argentina received a good part of their support from Lionel Messi’s fan base. Messi has millions of fans who support him from different parts of the world.
Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, and is an Argentinian soccer player. In the past, Messi has played for FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, and he is currently playing for Inter Miami.
During the most recent World Cup in 2022, Lionel Messi not only was the captain who led Argentina to victory, but he also scored the most goals for Argentina. So, it’s safe to say that Messi is a fan favorite in the soccer world.
Valeria Cornejo ‘27, a big soccer fan, said, “I watched the World Cup because I wanted to see Messi play, and especially support Argentina since they’re such a good team.”
Mattias Navia ‘27, a soccer player and fan said, “I always liked soccer and it’s one of my favorite sports. And my mom is Argentinian, and Argentina was playing in the final, so I had to watch. I’m also a big Messi fan.”
Some soccer fans watched the World Cup just to see Messi play. Suzy Yazichyan ‘27 said, “I remember Messi was talking about how he was going to retire, and I thought that he definitely should’ve won a World Cup as his last little award, trophy before he retires. But he didn’t retire so it’s fine.”
Lionel Messi helped Argentina become more noticed in the world by helping the country win the 2022 World Cup. What an incredible accomplishment! Hopefully, in the future, soccer players that aren’t as well known will become more popular, so that their country can be seen by thousands of other people from all over the world.
