"I want to see Messi, are we going to be able to see him?"

"Mom, I want to see Messi, are we going to be able to see him?" asked a boy as he ran through a nervous crowd towards the Paseo del Bajo in Buenos Aires.

Millions of people came to the center of the Argentine capital on Tuesday with the same objective: to see the soccer team and celebrate with them the title of world champions, the first since 1986. What started as a party became speed into absolute madness.

Everything overflowed and the players failed to reach the city in the open-top bus with which they had left Ezeiza.

The breaking point was the suicide jump of two people from a bridge: one landed in the vehicle;

the other crashed into the crowd that followed them.

In the center of Buenos Aires, the lack of a telephone signal due to the crowds made it impossible to know what was happening on the route of the soccer players.

At eleven in the morning, before they left, it was no longer possible to get close to the Obelisk.

Two hours later, the fans occupied more than twenty blocks of 9 de Julio, the widest avenue in Buenos Aires, through which the selection was scheduled to pass.

The authorities then reported a change in plans: for security reasons, the team would not pass through the Obelisk, the epicenter of the great soccer celebrations in Argentina.

People ran to the 25 de Mayo highway and jumped the entry barriers to it.

That route was also disabled.

From July 9, people headed for the Paseo del Bajo, the new alternative route.

Each change generated some bewilderment and anguish, but it subsided quickly upon reaching the new destination.

All Argentines define Sunday as a historic and unforgettable day.

The triumph against France in the World Cup final in Qatar allowed those under 36 years of age to celebrate their first World Cup.

For those who are over 44, it is the third.

Regardless of their age or the distance they live from Buenos Aires, no one wanted to miss a celebration that has united the entire country and has relegated economic concerns for a few days.

“We arrived at five in the morning.

When I finished my shift at the pizzeria, I went home, showered, woke up the kids and we came here,” said Melina, who sought refuge from the scorching sun in the trees in the square in front of the Teatro Colón, the great lyrical coliseum in Buenos Aires. Aires.

"They say they won't go to La Rosada, it's a pity, I wanted to see Messi on the balcony, like Maradona," added this 42-year-old woman, who was a girl when her father took her to cheer on Pelusa after the victory. against Germany in the World Cup in Mexico.

The Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, decreed a holiday this Tuesday so that all fans could participate in the celebrations.

Despite the heat, the crowds and the hours of standing, many resisted.

The collective happiness was reflected in a human tide that sang and jumped incessantly.

"Guys, now all we have to do is celebrate, we've already won the third, we're already world champion," the chant in Buenos Aires has been uninterrupted for 48 hours, when Argentina beat France.

"Olé, olé, the one who doesn't jump is Mbappé," says a new version of the popular anthem against the English, today dedicated to the star of the French team.

The concentration this Tuesday has been one of the largest in the history of Argentina.

The local media speak of more than three million people.

For many blocks it was impossible to walk;

in others, the only alternative was to let themselves be carried away by the human flood.

Those who came from far away parked their cars on the sidewalks and the fans climbed on any high place they could find -such as the roof of the kiosks, traffic lights, lampposts and bars- to have the best view of the party.

Carlos and Myriam, in their thirties, arrived from Olavarría, more than 350 kilometers from Buenos Aires.

They made up their minds when they found out that the president had declared a holiday.

"My dad didn't come in '86 and he always regretted it," Carlos said after assuring that the early start was worth it.

"This is crazy, we are the best fans in the world," he said proudly.

Beside him, a group of teenagers were throwing carnival foam into the air and cheering on those who were beginning to run out of energy.

"Give it, give it,

."

The contagion effect was immediate: like a wave, the chant began to reproduce itself over and over again throughout the avenue.

“I choose to believe”

The bus was scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires shortly after noon.

At four in the afternoon, some exhausted families began to return to their homes.

The Obelisk and the Plaza de Mayo, on the other hand, were still overflowing when the sun began to slacken.

The heat and alcohol led some fans to remove their jerseys and wave them in the air.

"I choose to believe that they will come to say hello," said an Argentine fan, referring to the phrase that became popular during the World Cup to highlight the coincidences between Qatar 2022 and Mexico 86.

The news that the players had gotten off the bus to board a helicopter revived hopes that they would reach the Casa Rosada, or at least fly over it.

Seeing two helicopters over the Argentine Government headquarters, some fans began to jump over the fences put up by the Police and others increased the pressure to get as close as possible.

The faces of happiness alternated with those of concern among those present, especially among those who tried to get out of there and could not find how to do it.

The early return of the players to Ezeiza was a bucket of cold water.

“We should have gone when they landed,” lamented a group of friends at the bus stop.

A child was crying uncontrollably.

Other Argentines walked and kept singing, encouraged by cars honking.

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