Drunk with joy, relieved, the Argentineans by the millions in the streets
Millions of people invaded Sunday afternoon the squares, streets of the country, like the arteries of Buenos Aires where an immense crowd capsized drunk with happiness…
The Argentinians celebrate their team’s victory at the World Cup in Buenos Aires on December 18, 2022.
AFP
Everyone wants to be there, to live this moment so dreamed of, long awaited since the last title (1986), and which will remain unforgettable, will be told from generation to generation. Of all ages, from children to ancestors, they shout, jump, dance endlessly, forging memories in unison.
“I m 35 years old. I waited 35 years to experience this moment. I can not believe it. 35 years of waiting for this dream of a lifetime”, yelled Sonia Palacios, the Argentine flag tied around her neck. “We love football, we love Argentina. I am happy, and happy to know that people are happy. Happy that this country is moving forward, that despite everything, despite the economy, everything, we can move forward, ”she added transported with emotion.
Since Montiel’s last victorious penalty, an escalation of songs, firecrackers, drums, fog horns, horns, endlessly disputed the sound space of the capital.
“Thank you Selection”
And without even waiting for Lionel Messi to lift the Cup in Doha, thousands, tens of thousands, soon more, converged on the Obelisk, the capital’s emblematic monument and traditional venue for sporting celebrations.
They were still more than a million at the start of the night, according to several Argentine media, while the 67.5 meter high obelisk served as a giant screen for projections, between “Gracias Seleccion” (Thanks to the selection) , images of players, especially the idol Messi, match actions, and the national flag.
The city center, on a huge square of 2 km on each side, was closed to traffic while fireworks lit up the sky in a continuous bronca. The night promised to be long because the party has only just begun and will reach its climax with the return of the heroes to Buenos Aires, scheduled for Monday at the very end of the day.
“It’s a lot of joy for the whole country. We deserved it”, repeated Gustavo Barreiro, 29 years old. “We are a country that has suffered, so this joy is good to take, to breathe a little,” he added, referring to the thousand and one ills of Argentina, from chronic inflation to a tense political polarization.
“It is our destiny to suffer! Condition sine qua non to be Argentinian!” Joel Ciarallo told AFP, between hilarity and emotion, still incredulous. “We were born to suffer. We are like that, we Argentinians. But we continue to move forward. It is like that, this country!” exulted Manuel Erazo, seller of street beers transported in a cooler.
Like him, many had anticipated, hoped for, a big party, to improve the ordinary, in a country where inflation will be close to 100% in 2022. Hundreds offered beers, burgers, grilled sausages on parillas (barbecues) installed at even the sidewalk.
“Dream Accomplished”
President Alberto Fernandez congratulated the team in a tweet as soon as the game was over “Always together, always united. WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS. Nothing more to say”. The banners of the televisions, them, competed in superlatives: “historic”, “endless party”, “eternal glory”, “dream accomplished”.
On 9 de Julio Avenue, one of the widest in the world (140 m) where the Obelisk is planted, the arms whipped the sky to accompany the songs intimately linked to football in Argentina, and which everyone knows by heart. “Somos campeones!” was now on the supporter’s playlist alongside the classic “Soooy Argentino, es un sentimiento, no puedo paraaar!” “I’m Argentinian, it’s a feeling, I can’t stop!”) chanted loudly during the match around giant screens in a park, a stadium, on a seafront, in Mar del Plata, on the Atlantic, in Jujuy at the foot of the Andes, and in the Argentine Pampas.
Also resounded in a loop the very last, “Muchachos”, the song of the year and became the unofficial anthem of the Argentine supporters in this World Cup. Invoking both the Albiceleste, Maradona, Messi and the Falklands, she was shouted at the top of her lungs, at the start of the match, to cover the “Marseillaise”. After the victory a verse was changed and now says “Now we won the third, again world champion”, replacing the “I want to win the third, I want to be world champion”.
Shortly before midnight, the crowd thinned out a bit, the families with the youngest were returning. They would have to work hard on Monday. But Monday announced the return at the beginning of the evening in Buenos Aires, of the world champions, undoubtedly the “biggest celebration to come”, predicted Adriana Nuñez, 57 years old. “We are waiting for them, and surely them too”.
AFP
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