Israeli soccer fans rejoice over long-awaited World Cup win for Messi, Argentina
Fans wave flags, blue-and-white Argentine shirts to celebrate stunning victory over France in unforgettable finale game
Israeli soccer fans were among millions worldwide to celebrate Argentina’s hard-fought victory over France on Sunday in a nail-biting finale game for the 2022 World Cup championship.
Fans rejoiced in cities nationwide, waving Argentinian flags and shirts as the team, led by Lionel Messi, beat France 4-2 on penalties in a stunning finale after the game ended 3-3 on extra time.
In Tel Aviv, fans poured into Dizengoff Square to sing, dance, and play in the famous water fountain to mark the win.
In locales with a strong population of immigrants from Latin America, the joy was palpable.
“Messi is our Judah the Maccabee,” one fan from Kibbutz Or Haner in southern Israel told Ynet, a fitting reference to the ancient rebel leader of the Maccabees, whose story is told on the Jewish holiday of Hannukah, which started Sunday evening.
“We dreamed of this day, we were with them all the way. It’s a victory they deserve, the team and the Argentinian people. We deserve this,” said the fan, a resident of the kibbutz, which was largely set up by immigrants from Argentina and Chile in the mid-1950s.
Festejos en #TelAviv, #Israel. ¡Vamos Argentina! #campeonmundial #Argentina #Messi pic.twitter.com/NvoRQ0fN82
— Radio Jai (@fmjai) December 18, 2022
“We prayed and prayed the whole World Cup. Messi is a king and there is no other,” another fan told Ynet.
Another Kibbutz Or Haner resident told Walla that Argentina “showed the Europeans that we, from South America, can win a [World Cup] trophy.”
To Messi, he said: “Leo – thank you! You are a king!”
#Arg ???????? Campeón del Mundo … ????????????⚽️… #FIFAWorldCupFinal #Messi – … “ Acá también! No sabés en el Dizengoff en #TelAviv! Un mini obelisco!!… “ @iru_zel pic.twitter.com/Dcx879q8l2
— Gustavo Rossi (@MoroRossi) December 18, 2022
The sentiments echoed those in Buenos Aires where fans were also overjoyed by the victory. Throughout the match, many watching in a public square in Buenos Aires chanted the name of the team captain, often considered the world’s greatest soccer player who had long talked about how he yearned for a World Cup victory.
“I feel an immense happiness in my heart because this is the first World Cup I truly enjoy,” Hector Quinteros, a 34-year-old security guard, said as his eyes welled up with tears. “This always happens. They always make us suffer.”
After 36 long years, Argentina finally won a World Cup title, erasing years of doubts and questions about whether a country known for having some of the world’s greatest soccer players could really perform on an international stage. The country won its first title in 1978, but lost the finals in 1930, 1990 and 2014.
At the end of the first half, many were gearing up to celebrate as Argentina led 2-0 and clearly dominated the match.
But that early happiness turned to anxiety as France caught up, ultimately leaving the score at 3-3 before Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties.
For many, the agonizing feelings of the match made the victory all the sweeter.
“When you suffer over something so much, the satisfaction is greater,” Fabio Villani, a 45-year-old video editor said, noting he still couldn’t quite believe Argentina had won a World Cup title.
In Rosario, Messi’s hometown, a sea of people went out into the streets to celebrate that their local hero had finally won a World Cup title.
“It’s madness. It surpassed my expectations with so many people on the same wavelength, everyone celebrating. That’s what’s most beautiful about today,” said Jeremías Regolo, 26, who joined the tens of thousands of people who descended on the National Flag Memorial, the symbol of Argentina’s third largest city.
People started arriving after Messi lifted the trophy and they were still holding strong into the evening.
“We’re champions, which is all we wanted, more than anything for (Messi) and for the whole team,” Santiago Ferraris, 25, said.
