I am here: how many times in his life will Leo Messi shut you up? - Walla! FIFA World Cup

Report by Paz Hasdai, messenger of Walla!

Sports for Qatar, after Argentina's victory over Mexico (photo: Paz Hasdaei video editing: Tal Resnik)

In recent days, the Saudis celebrated in the streets of Doha with the cry "Where is Messi?".

On trains, in the street, in stadiums, everywhere they called teasingly: Where is he?

It all started when a Saudi fan celebrated the victory over Argentina, and after the game burst into the broadcast of a Japanese reporter outside the stadium, took his microphone and started asking "Where is Messi? Has anyone seen Messi? Where is Messi?".

The segment went viral, became a local hit, since then other fans have already taken microphones to the broadcasters and teased the star who disappeared and was arrested in the first game of the tournament.

Yesterday (Saturday), against Mexico, the joke was over.

Lionel Messi gave the answer.

did anyone speak

did you call me

here I am.

Hope you enjoyed these two days you could have laughed at me.

In the first half the feeling was that this Latin derby could go on for days without anyone scoring a goal.

The atmosphere was hot, the crowd of both teams provided a tremendous display, everyone got excited and sang non-stop, and thus every tackle was received with roars of joy throughout the stadium: those who pushed away celebrated, those who won the away ball celebrated, everyone was looking for a reason to go wild.

There were also high emotions on the field, with the entire Latin arsenal: tough offenses, plays and twists on the grass, and in fact for the first time in the tournament we got a real rivalry, with an enmity that goes back many years.

This is what we were waiting for.

But with rivalry and enmity you don't go to the grocery store, in the end for expats you need a performer.

Then came Messi.

where is he?

here he is.

So many times in his career he heard fans and commentators killing him, so many times he was eulogized and slandered, and so many times he provided a quick answer, with a sharp, deadly, accurate, flat kick, straight to the corner, at the right angle, to a place the goalkeeper cannot reach .

Gol.

Just a goal.

This is what we were waiting for.

Again just fairies.

Leo Messi (Photo: GettyImages, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP)

From that moment the show moved to the stands.

The gate gave an electric shock to thousands of people, who received an injection of energy to the body.

At some point it was no longer clear what the main attraction was and what to focus on: the game, or the crowd's singing.

There is something mesmerizing about a jubilant stand, an addictive power.

How much electricity was in the air, how many scarves were waving, flags were unfurled, drums were beating, how many jumps, waving hands, words of love.

Certainly, last night there was no place in the whole world that concentrated more energies than the Argentina stand.

This is what we waited for, this is what we imagined.

Many national teams here have enthusiastic fans, but the Argentinians are really something special.

Especially if you happen to chat with some of them and hear their stories.

For example, Antonio and Hernan, father and son, 32 and 14 years old ("I started early, don't ask why, long story"), have been saving and putting money aside for three years to finance this trip to the other half of the world.

Or Timothy, the owner of the most beautiful drum in the world, with a handmade painting of Messi and Maradona, a drum he loved so much that for three months he didn't dare to drum on it, just looked at it.

Or Nesto and Dalia, next to Manolo and Claudia - two pairs of friends who went to the World Cup together.

Yes, couples trip.

to the World Cup

Can you imagine such a thing?

And it is clear to each of them: if Argentina continues and advances in the tournament, we are not moving.

So what will you do, I ask, what about the work, what about the money, what about the uncertainty, who knows how long it will last.

Everyone has the same answer: we'll see.

Will be fine.

"Leo Messi in his last World Cup, and we're already here," Manolo says, "

good to know (in advance)

The quality water of Eden Water - at your home in a compact and designed water bar

Served on behalf of Eden Water

They are truly something special.

Argentina national team fans (Photo: Reuters)

The most beautiful drum in the world (photo: Walla! system, Paz Hasdai, sent to Qatar)

And now for something completely different, because in the meantime in a parallel world there exists Israel and its small and miserable problems, which are of no interest to anyone here.

During the match between Saudi Arabia and Poland, the Israeli journalist Moab Vardi received shouts and calls from an angry Saudi fan in the stands (large and quite scary, to be honest), and some of his friends even joined him when he shouted at the Israeli, "Get out of here, they don't want you, occupation", etc. and so'.

As mentioned, we are already used to it, for us it is old news, but what about the environment?

A friendly European journalist was startled by the angry face of the Saudi who was trying to remove a journalist from the stands, and asked her colleague what was actually going on here.

"He's Israeli," the European journalist answered her briefly, and she immediately nodded and said "Ah", concluding the matter.

Got the point.

It's this violent conflict from the Middle East that will never end, they've been fighting each other and killing each other for a hundred years, what can be done, what can be said, let's go down for coffee.

The problem was not the indifference of the Europeans and colleagues, but rather of the orderlies and the policemen there.

Those who bully any fan who stops for a moment in the transition, but ignore a fan who violently calls for a journalist to get out of here.

And this brings us back to another point in dealing with local hostility: how to respond?

Should we be careful and hide the Israeli identity out of apprehension and fear, or stand tall and proud, even when surrounded by Arabs, hot-tempered football fans, who are anyway in an arena where shouting, cursing and violence is a kind of norm.

The problem is that there is no one to turn to.

How can you seek protection or comfort from a Qatari policeman and hope that he will look after you and seek justice and fairness, when you are Israeli against an Arab, who speaks the language, in a country that does not want you anyway and is not known for the fairness of its courts.

And again distractions, unnecessary tensions, dilemmas that only we have alongside violence and fears.

This is not what we were waiting for.

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• Lionel Messi