Lionel Messi and team return home as heroes, Argentina fans flock Buenos Aires streets

Thousands of people lined the streets to greet Argentina's Lionel Messi-led squad as they arrived at the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires after winning the 2022 World Cup.

The Argentine capital has been ecstatic since La Albiceleste's 4-2 penalty shootout victory against France on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, their first global title since Diego Maradona claimed the trophy in 1986, 36 years ago.

The team plane landed at 3 a.m. local time, and captain Lionel Messi was the first to step off with the World Cup trophy. Next came coach Lionel Scaloni, and then the rest of the players and team staff, all of whom wore their gold winners' medals and took turns holding the World Cup trophy high.



From there, the team took an open bus to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) building, where they will stay for a few hours before heading at noon to the huge Obelisco monument in the center of town, where hundreds of thousands of people are likely to gather.

When the team got back, there were already thousands of people on both sides of the road cheering and singing. Fireworks lit up the sky as the bus slowly made its way through the crowd. Earlier on Sunday, Argentina beat France 4–2 on penalties after a thrilling 3–3 draw. Messi scored twice for Argentina, while Kylian Mbappe scored three times for France.

FAQs:

1. How many goals do Messi and Ronaldo have?
   Messi has scored 796 goals in 1,023 games, while Ronaldo has scored 819 goals in 1,144 games.
2. Who is the goat right now in football?
   Lionel Messi got one back for his team by winning the Copa America in 2021. Messi stunned Ronaldo fans when Argentina beat France in a dramatic final on Sunday night at the Lusail Stadium and won the title.