Argentina’s rabid fans turned Times Square blue and white – and their team fought

Times Square in New York is one of the most recognizable areas of real estate in the world. It looked very different with Argentinian fans in the city.

Police officers unfamiliar with Argentina’s soccer culture but accustomed to monitoring peaceful protests were stunned as downtown Manhattan turned into a street party in Albiceleste.

Tuesday’s ‘banderazo’, a pre-match tradition that encourages fans to raise flags and sing songs in praise of the national team, proved Messi and Argentina are still riding a euphoric wave since winning the 2022 World Cup. Are they the most popular now? national team in the world?

𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐀 Time Square filled up 🤯🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/gfaQhkMeh0

— Selección Argentina in English (@AFASeleccionEN) June 25, 2024

More than 80,000 fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey witnessed a classic South American brawl between Argentina and Chile. The two nations know each other all too well. Chile won the Copa America finals against Argentina in 2015 and 2016, but on Tuesday Lionel Messi’s side got revenge with a nail-biting 1-0 win that sealed their place in the quarter-finals.

There’s a big difference between a continental final and a group stage match, but there was something special about this renewed rivalry. Argentina is the world champion and holder of the Copa America. Their team hotels are surrounded by fans pretending to hope to catch a glimpse of the latest pop-rock boy band. The build-up to the match against Chile reached a new level of fanatical obsession.

Messi has legions of followers all over the world. His admirers come from all over the world, many of whom have been associated with the Argentina captain since his 17th season at Barcelona. They have remained loyal to him even after Argentina’s painful defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.

After Argentina lost the 2016 Copa America final to Chile at the MetLife Stadium, Messi abruptly announced his retirement from international football. But his adoring fans did not turn their backs on him then.

So when Argentina beat France in a thrilling World Cup final in Qatar two years ago, the love and respect that Messi’s fans have for him tripled. Argentina became what Brazil was in the early 1990s: a world champion team of stars with a cool factor off the pitch and jogo bonito on it.

Argentina’s star status on the international stage is reminiscent of the 1998 French team that knocked Brazil off its pedestal, or the Spanish teams of the 2000s that performed an incredible feat from 2008 to 2012, winning a World Cup and two European Championships.

Argentina are looking for their third straight international trophy since 2021 and their first consecutive Copa America titles since 1993. Messi is now surrounded by a collection of players who have become global stars in their own right.

In New Jersey, MetLife Stadium was decorated in blue and white. There was hardly a seat left unoccupied. Fans from all over the world came to watch Messi and his mates during their football tour of the United States on the east coast. They almost left without a goal celebration as a stingy Chilean team did their best to spoil the party. Chile were not intimidated by the three stars above the Argentine emblem or the thousands of fans who opposed it; they frustrated Messi in the first half with fouls that went unpunished by lenient Uruguayan referee Andres Matonte.

At times the match resembled a huge street brawl. A draw would have felt like an important moral victory for Chile. Instead, Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez pounced on a deflected shot in the Chilean penalty area and finished from close range in the 88th minute. Martinez is one of the most in-form strikers in the world.

He scored 24 goals to help Inter Milan win last season’s Serie A title, but suffered a confidence-boosting goal drought against Argentina that saw him fail to find the back of the net from September 2022 to March this year . He has now scored five goals in five games for his country.

Is Messi in danger in the last group match? (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“I’m happy,” Martinez said. “I’m happy because I scored and helped the team. It’s been 16 games without a goal for me, but I’m always willing to contribute, however this group needs it.”

Martinez’s humility is in stark contrast to the personality of Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. From the mixed zone of the stadium, the Aston Villa man guaranteed Argentina would win the six games and win the Copa America.

Argentina is a team of diverse personalities. Together they march as an army of battle-tested soldiers who remain hungry for more hardware. They are led by the soft-spoken Messi, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday. “We knew this game would be difficult – every game is,” said the Inter Miami forward. “Our games against Chile are always tough.”

Messi denied that the hamstring discomfort he felt in the first half was the result of tackles. “At the beginning of the match I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring,” he said. “It was tight. It wasn’t as loose as it should have been. But I was able to finish the game. We’ll see how it goes.”

Messi admitted that he suffered from a sore throat and fever. His status against Peru in their final group match on June 29 is uncertain.

A trip to Messi’s new hometown of Miami will follow, with another sell-out crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium a virtual guarantee. But will Messi play or will head coach Lionel Scaloni rest his captain?

Surrounded by New York state troopers in a mixed zone packed with international journalists, Messi showed no signs of slowing down. He grinned when told about Emiliano Martinez’s bold prediction.

“He talks like this because he has confidence in himself and in this group,” Messi said. “But we are the same group of players as before, modest. A team that goes game by game. We are going to fight for this title. Hopefully we can get there.”

(Top photo: Charly Tribelleau/Getty Images)