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Miami, United States – Singing to the beat of the drum, jumping and dancing with joyful abandon, sporting their famous light blue and white shirts, and waving large flags bearing images of their heroes, Argentinian football fans have announced their team’s arrival in Miami in grand fashion.
A day before Argentina’s first knockout match of the FIFA World Cup ۲۰۲۶ – and their first fixture in the Sunshine State – the portion of Miami Beach known as Little Buenos Aires came to life as close to a thousand revellers geared up for Lionel Messi’s “homecoming” on Friday.
The defending champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites will take on the fairytale team of the World Cup – the small African island nation of Cape Verde.
The match at Miami Stadium will pit a team supported by one of the largest travelling fan bases of the tournament against an outfit that may not have strong backing in the stands but has endeared itself to the neutrals with its heroic performances.
Among Argentinian supporters, though, there’s no room for sympathy for the team punching above its weight.
For Adrian Elizondo, the logic is simple: “Messi deserves to win another World Cup.”
“It’s Messi’s last World Cup and since he’s the greatest player of all time, he deserves to walk away with another trophy,” Elizondo told Al Jazeera.
Elizondo believes there’s more to Argentina’s success than Messi.
“We have good players, a great coach and tens of thousands of people supporting the team. We make a big difference.”
A quick glance at the party-like atmosphere in Miami Beach reinforced Elizondo’s claim.
Miami, where Messi has been playing his club football since ۲۰۲۳, is home to at least ۳۰,۰۰۰ Argentinians, according to local census data.
Add to this mix another ۲۰,۰۰۰ fans following the team on their quest to defend the title in the United States and it becomes evident that Miami is “Messi Country”.
The crowd in North Beach, which is home to several decades-old Argentinian restaurants and cafes, started building more than ۲۴ hours before kickoff and showed no sign of letting up as the evening went on.
Fans, from toddlers to supporters in their ۷۰s, were seen walking towards the central area in Little Buenos Aires.
A small pocket of enthusiasts would begin singing “Muchachos” – the famous Argentinian football anthem – and hundreds of others would soon join in.
While the lyrics speak to the heartbreak of lost World Cup finals and past heroes, the mood among fans was festive, especially as Messi and Co broke a ۳۶-year title drought four years ago in Qatar and emulated his hero Diego Maradona in leading them to a World Cup trophy.
For Argentina fans, Maradona and Messi are commonly considered the master and the protege. It’s part of their footballing folklore which is reinforced at every opportunity.
In Miami, as men, women and children danced on the streets, a group of supporters dressed in the shirts of Argentinian football club Newell’s Old Boys proudly stood in front of a banner connecting the two national heroes with the club.
Jorge Martinelli travelled to Miami from Rosario, the club’s base, with his friends and proudly shared some facts about his hometown.
“Messi was born in Rosario and played in Newell’s youth teams before joining Barcelona, while Maradona came to the club in ۱۹۹۳,” he tells Al Jazeera.
Is there any other connection between the two iconic captains? Martinelli said: “Yes, it’s a cosmic connection.
“Many here believe Maradona is guiding the team from the heavens above,” he quipped.
Amid Martinelli’s explanation of the spiritual connection between the two, fans let off crackers to celebrate Miami’s favourite footballing son’s return to his adopted home.
The Rosario resident said he does not want to contemplate a future after Messi retires from international football.
“It will create a big hole in the national team, the same as what happened after Maradona,” he said.
For now, though, he believes Messi is the favourite to do what even the great Maradona couldn’t achieve: successfully defend the title.
“He [Messi] is here. He’s playing. Maradona is watching.”
