(Buenos Aires) They have Lionel Messi under their skin. Or rather on the skin: since the coronation of their national soccer team in Qatar, Argentinians have been tattooed with the image that has become emblematic of their idol kissing the World Cup trophy.
“The next two weeks, I only have World Cup tattoos. Some had previously made appointments to get tattoos of snakes or skulls, but changed to Messi or the Cup. I already have two or three meetings a day on my schedule,” Esteban Vucinovich, nicknamed “Tebi Cobra,” told AFP.
PHOTO JUAN MABROMATA, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
According to this tattoo artist from Buenos Aires, the World Cup trophy is the most in demand, followed by Messi of course, but also by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez who was decisive in the final against France in extra time and in the penalty shootout (3-3 ap, 4 tab to 2).
These supporters are inspired by the examples given by certain Argentine players, freshly crowned world champions, such as Angel Di Maria who has recently sported a World Cup tattoo on his right leg.
“On the skin for eternity. Thank you very much my friend. You said it when we won the Copa America [en 2020]. I had kept the other leg for this occasion. It was written. Go Argentina! “Wrote Di Maria on his Instagram account in caption of a photo of the tattoo and its author.
“I got a Messi tattoo as a sign of thanks,” civil servant Nicolás Rechanik told AFP. “It not only represents who Messi is but also the team that brought us a third World Cup and all the years of effort to achieve that goal.”
Before having Messi on his left leg wearing the white jersey striped with blue and kissing the Golden Cup, he had already had a tattoo of the other Argentinian soccer idol, Diego Maradona, crowned world champion in 1986 and died in 2020 .
“The greatest joy”
“It’s a perfect representation of what Argentine soccer is and what Argentina is for us,” he summed up.
Alma Ocampo, a 20-year-old girl who has been playing soccer since she was a child, decided to get a tattoo when Argentina surprisingly lost their first World Cup match against Saudi Arabia (2-1).
PHOTO JUAN MABROMATA, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
Alma Ocampo gets the World Cup tattooed on her leg.
“When everyone was losing confidence, I told myself that I would get the Cup tattooed if Argentina won it. So I did it, with the date of December 18, 2022 “, that of Argentina’s third world title, she specifies.
Ariel Sacchi, a physical education teacher, tattooed a playing card representing five World Cups, as many as those disputed by Messi, with the Argentine superstar in the center kissing the trophy.
“I decided to get a Leo tattoo [Messi, NDLR] because he gave us all Argentines the greatest joy. I think he deserved it [le titre mondial, NDLR] and after failing so many times, he finally got it,”
But not all tattoos are equal: on social networks, people laugh at the one who wears a Messi that is a little too thick or another with a mistake in the name of goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez.