From exhilaration to fun: what Messi and the rest of the Argentina national team players did on their first day off at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

The windows of the blue-and-white painted bus rattle as it departs from an already empty Ahmad Bi Ali stadium. The tinted windows don’t allow us to see much of what goes on inside the bus which leaves early Sunday morning to return to Qatar University with qualification for the quarter-finals as an extra passenger. But it feels. They are the players of the Argentine national team who have released themselves and are enjoying what they have achieved so far.

They sing and skip the same songs the fans sing. Some are standing and some are sitting. But everyone hit the windows to the sound of shots from the grandstand. And the effervescence does not decrease when it comes to the concentration of the national team. It’s already past 3:00 and happiness makes it impossible for your eyes to close to fall asleep. The adrenaline continues to rise.

The celebration had begun right on the playing field. The campus was allowed to experience about eight minutes of connection with people. Nobody wanted to leave. They also waved to their family and friends who could be seen in the seats. Dibu Martínez was able to give his son Santi a lift when they passed him to him from the public to share some time together on the grass. It was the first time Santi could see his father save the national team live.

The thing continued in the locker room, but without the captain. Lionel Messi He had to undergo the doping test and when he finished everyone was waiting for him. He took a quick shower, passed the mandatory conference to be chosen as the best player of the match, paraded in the mixed area with several stops at different media and then yes, to enjoy himself in private with his teammates.

There is euphoria, yes, even if contained. The happiness of having passed to another instance finds a brake when the feet return to the ground and one knows that nothing has yet been won. In any case, the feeling that occupies every heart of the members of the Argentine delegation is relief. A relief to know that the hot flash has passed and has been successfully overcome. It would have been a big upset to end the dream against Australia in the round of 16. Not to mention what it would have meant not to get through the group stage, with rivals lower in the hierarchy. There will be no paper in Qatar 2022. The pressure will be different, even if there is no relaxation. The goal is still to go step by step and get to the end.

The coaching staff has decided to release their boys this Sunday. There was no training. Lionel Scaloni and company understood that, after so much effort and so little rest, the troops needed rest and relaxation. Get out of jail for a few hours. It is that, beyond the fact that they have all the comforts and different distractions inside the bunker, there comes a time when so many days together can become monotonous.

Here because, several players have chosen to walk through the exit door to be with their families. Some have taken refuge in the house that their inner circle rented in or around Doha. The exclusive area of The Pearl It is the point chosen by several relatives to settle down. Share a different lunch, a roast alone among his own like ‘Dibu’ Martínez; or a stroll through one of the huge shopping malls in the Qatari capital such as Nahuel Molina and family; also a boat trip like Giuliano Alvarez Y Alexis MacAllisterwhich coincidentally coincided with Gabriele Omar Batistuta. There was also time to enjoy the beaches of Doha, as they did Leandro Paredes with wife and children. This is what this free passage that Scaloni granted to the protagonists of La Scaloneta consisted of.

And Messi?

Others have decided not to move from the concentration and receive their relatives there, such as the day after every match played in Qatar 2022. This was the case of captain Lionel Messi, who hosted his family in the Qatar University bunker . They stayed there too Nicola Otamendi Y Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez -perhaps to be able to recover from ankle sprain-. There was roast as the main menu.

Many concluded the victory with the oceanic team too tired and this rest of body and mind will come in handy to get back to work on Monday. Sara four workouts to develop the game plan and go in search of Hollandalready with the certainty of understanding that he is competing up to the circumstances and with the premise of supporting him to climb higher.