The 36 years of waiting came to an end: with Lionel Messi 's goals and Emiliano Martinez's saves, Argentina won the World Cup once again.
world champion
. An entire country followed the national team during its seven matches in Qatar, which were crowned with the title and the third star for the Albiceleste. As a result, millions of people have come out to welcome the players and the capital city of Buenos Aires has become a party.
After a brief stopover in Rome, Italy, the team arrived in the country early Tuesday morning, after 2:30 a.m. (local time). At Ezeiza International Airport, they were greeted by a red carpet, a musical band and the first crowd. From there, they went to the Argentine Soccer Association complex to rest for a few hours and, after 11:00, they got back on the bus to show the people the coveted cup.
EN EL OBELISCO, EN LA CASA ROSADA Y EN TODO BUENOS AIRES: así se vive la alegría en Argentina por ganar la Copa del Mundo. pic.twitter.com/yTja5tcTs1
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) December 20, 2022
Change of plans due to the crowd
The original idea was for them to go for a ride around the city in the convertible bus that was prepared for the occasion. However, the number of people who turned out far exceeded all expectations: according to the latest estimates, some 5 million fans thronged the Buenos Aires commercial center around the Obelisk to try to catch a glimpse of the vehicle carrying the champions.
Thus, the possibility of them going up to a stage that was prepared in Plaza de Mayo was ruled out and they ended up flying over the city in different helicopters. While they were still in the convertible bus, the media had to stop broadcasting the route the vehicle was taking to prevent the fans from completely occupying the streets and avenues through which it was traveling.
After the penalty shootout against France, Alberto Fernandez, President of Argentina, decreed that Tuesday would be a national holiday so that the population could go out to celebrate.
