Argentina fans invade team hotel in Atlanta to catch a glimpse of Messi ahead of Copa América

ATLANTA – Police sirens rang through the streets of downtown Atlanta and hundreds of people dressed in white and sky blue raised their cell phones in the air, while children climbed onto the shoulders of their parents and on nearby trash cans to take refuge on higher ground.

“Argentina! Argentina!” fans of the World Cup champions said in unison, eagerly waiting for beloved soccer star Lionel Messi to step off the team bus parked outside the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta on Wednesday evening.

Messi walked up the stairs to the hotel entrance, briefly greeting fans as they chanted his name, the day before the 2024 Copa América begins in the United States, with Argentina taking on Canada at the stadium Mercedes-Benz Thursday.

“Well, we don’t have that in Canada, do we?” said Kevin Rodriguez, who came from Ottawa for the game and came out of a nearby bar to feel the commotion.

Messi has revealed in recent interviews that he is trying to enjoy every moment as the end of his illustrious footballing career is near. He has not yet set a retirement date and says his health will determine whether he plays in the next World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Yet Argentine fans want to soak up everything they can about their country’s most famous living icon (yes, for some, even more famous than Pope Francis).

They have been waiting outside the team hotel since arriving on Sunday, hoping to catch a glimpse of Messi and the reigning Copa América and World Cup champions as they get on and off the team bus. team for practice this week at Kennesaw State University.

“It’s full of Argentinians. We’re a little crazy, we jump and sing in the street. That’s what we do,” said Max Ortiz, a researcher at Clemson University who is originally from Argentina and staying at the same hotel before Thursday’s game.

Ortiz, the only one in his family to earn a college degree, made a sign asking Messi: “Leo, your autograph for my father and my brother, please? Could you please leave it at the hotel reception ?”

Ortiz also saw Messi play at Barcelona and in his MLS debut with Inter Miami.

“It’s like surreal. He’s an inspiration to all of us on so many levels,” Ortiz said. “He’s a good father. He’s a good husband, a good friend. We don’t know him (personally), but Argentines recognize him for not giving up.

Thanks to Argentinian media outlets, such as TYCSports and DSports, providing live coverage for fans back home, many Argentinian fans know exactly when and where to be to see their favorite player and favorite team, no matter which city they are in. they play.

Many others, while walking along Peachtree Center Avenue, see a collection of Argentina jerseys and hang around to connect with other fans.

Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes and coach Lionel Scaloni shared their appreciation for the supporters during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

“For us, they are the strength to follow and continue to compete. We really appreciate their warmth, their camaraderie and we hope we can live up to it,” Paredes said.

Scaloni added: “It’s the perfect time to see the national team and we are very proud of our victories. I hope for them that they can enjoy watching their national team in the Copa América. And of course, I thank them for their support.

Argentine fan Mauro Puliafito still dresses for the occasion – this time in full Lady Liberty costume complete with crown, torch and tablet to honor the Copa América being held for the second time in the United States. He’s also not shy about showing off his tattoos: a portrait of him and Messi tattooed on the back of his left leg, and Messi’s autograph on his left forearm.

“I’m living a dream,” said Puliafito, who participated in the last three World Cups in Brazil, Russia and Qatar – where he dressed up as a camel in a desert country – and the 2019 Copa América in Brazil .

Giselle Saldana, 54, a temporary translator from Buenos Aires, said Thursday’s match will be the first time she will see Messi and the national team play in person.

She has tickets for every potential Copa América match Argentina could play, except for the final because she was behind 60,000 others in the Ticketmaster queue.

“It’s visceral. You feel it. It’s a totally out-of-body experience,” Saldana said of becoming an Argentina fan after his World Cup victory. “I’ve never seen him play live, because in Argentina it’s impossible to get tickets every time the national team plays. So, for me, having the chance to see him play, knowing that it might being your last tournament with the national team, is incredibly exciting. Your heart is beating all the time. And for me, having the chance to see them is also very emotional.

Anna Baez and her daughter Emma, ​​12, said they would faint if they saw Messi in person. Along with husband Rodrigo and 8-year-old son Liam, the family from Mendoza, Argentina, traveled to Atlanta from their home in Rochester, Michigan (about 40 minutes north of Detroit).

Baez and her husband wanted their children to experience Messi and the national team with their own eyes. They are already saving money to buy tickets to the World Cup in two years.

“He is the best,” Liam Baez said of Messi.

“It’s very exciting. I’m happy to be here. And I’m grateful because I can see Messi and everyone else,” said Emma Baez.

A Westin hotel employee, who wished to remain anonymous, was able to shake Messi’s hand as he walked by.

“Leo,” Messi said, introducing himself to the employee. “A lot of enthusiasm.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Argentina fans invade team hotel for Lionel Messi ahead of Copa America