Argentine fans are living these days with expectation of the favoritism of the Albiceleste fans in the shortlist that FIFA nominated as "the best fans in the world" for the "The Best" awards
,
whose delivery will take place this Monday in Zurich, Switzerland.
Argentine supporters filled the streets of Buenos Aires and every point in the country throughout the World Cup, but above all they did so in Qatar, a country located 13,278 kilometers away.
Thousands of fans traveled and took over each stand, so they became another color attraction throughout the 28 days.
FIFA described the national nomination as follows on its website: "The journey from Argentina to Qatar is not exactly short, but fans of La Albiceleste have flocked to Doha since the start of the tournament to support Lionel
Messi
in his last attempt to win the only trophy that remained elusive until then".
"The noise they made in the stands was constant, with drumbeats and chants making almost every game in Argentina seem like
a home match
for Messi and company," FIFA explained.
Argentina will compete against Japan, who were praised for their
cleanliness in post-match stadiums
, and Saudi Arabia 's
Abdullah Al Salmi
, who spent
55 days walking
through the Arabian Desert to see his team in action.
In the last few hours it emerged from Zurich that if Argentina wins the award, the person in charge of receiving the mention will be none other than
Carlos Pascual
, better known as
"El Tula"
.
This was announced by the journalist Gastón Edul, from TyC Sports, in charge of the day-to-day life of the National Team and present in Switzerland to cover an event that will be dyed blue and white.
"El Tula" is a famous character from Rosario, identified with Peronism, who dedicated his life to actively participate in sports events and political events.
In mid-2022 he
told Clarín that he was looking for a sponsor for his hype
because he wanted to be in Qatar.
Finally, "El Tula" was able to reach the Middle East and lived closely the consecration of Lionel Messi and company.
It was his 13th World Cup since the first one he saw
in situ
, in Germany 1974.
Argentine banner during the World Cup and "El Tula" present with his bass drum, in a wheelchair.
Photo: Fernando de la Orden.
For his part, Rodrigo Calvo, one of the thousands who decided to
leave everything
to be together with Lionel Messi and company's team, commented in dialogue with
Télam
: "We have to be awarded as the best fans in the world right now. The party that will take place What he did in Qatar was not seen from other countries, we came to the pitch singing from the walkway and from the subway. Anyone who saw it from outside realized it."
"It was my first World Cup as a fan and it was the first time I was able to see Argentina in another country. In a World Cup there is a very large cultural and diverse movement. You see different cultures," he described.
Calvo, a fan of
Nueva Chicago
, commented that Qatar was "open" to make "everyone" feel comfortable.
"I had no expectations that we would be world champions, although we had taken the flight back after the final. Hope was intact," he recalled.
"Seeing
Messi
,
Di María
and
Otamendi
be champions was incredible. The same for the youngest. We had elite players who deserved the title," closed the fanatic.
Likewise, on Monday, February 27, the winner will be known not only of the best fans but also the best player -nominated Lionel Messi-, the best goalkeeper -nominated
Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez-
, the best coach -nominated
Lionel Scaloni-
, among other awards.
Messi, for another consecration
Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentina National Team that won the World Cup in Qatar 2022, was among the finalists for the FIFA The Best award as the best player in the world and will compete for this award with the French Kylian Mbappé
and
Karim
Benzema
.
The 35-year-old star from Rosario, distinguished with the award for the best in Qatar 2022, is one of the three finalists for the award, whose winner will be announced on February 27 in Paris.
Messi, Mbappé's teammate (World Cup scorer) at
Paris Saint Germain
, led Argentina in the conquest of its third star in the history of the World Cups, with a brilliant performance in which he gave three assists and scored seven goals , including a double in the final over
France
.
In the tournament in Qatar, he received the Ballon d'Or for the most valuable player, as in Brazil 2014, and became the only footballer to achieve it twice.
Mbappé finished as the top scorer at the World Cup in Qatar
with eight goals
, all three in the final against Argentina, although his team ended up losing on penalties.
For his part, Benzema was unable to be with the French national team in Qatar due to injury, but he did
an outstanding job leading Real Madrid
to another UEFA Champions League title in 2022. He was the tournament's top scorer with 15 goals ( he made hat tricks against PSG in the round of 16 and Chelsea in the quarterfinals) and also in La Liga with 27 goals.
The last winner of The Best award, that of 2021, was the Pole Robert Lewandowski.
look too
FIFA The Best Awards: Ruben Insua said why Messi, Scaloni and Dibu Martínez should win, for whom he invented another nickname
Vélez was left without DT: the defeat against Boca in Liniers catapulted the criticized 'Cacique' Medina
Jeremías Ponce was left without a world title or undefeated in the United States: he lost by technical knockout against Subriel Matías
