Lionel Messi’s response to seeing Argentina’s team chef speaks volumes
Argentina fans celebrate Lionel Messi goal in World Cup final
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Lionel Messi embraced Argentina team chef Antonia Farias after the World Cup final on Sunday as he hugged her in a moving reaction to her presence which sums up his character. Farias had run up to Messi on the pitch after the blockbuster star had helped his country defeat France in a penalty shootout.
Messi was in fine form throughout the tournament in Qatar as he bagged seven goals in seven matches. But he saved his best performance for last as he opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half against France, before nudging his side ahead in extra time.
Angel di Maria also found the back of the net for the South Americans, but Kylian Mbappe’s quickfire double in the latter stages of the 90 minutes forced an extra 30 minutes of play. Mbappe then cancelled out Messi’s second strike as the match headed for penalties.
Messi dispatched his country’s first spot kick in the shootout as the tension rose inside the Lusail Stadium. And Argentina ultimately came out on top to win their first World Cup title since 1986.
After the final whistle, footage showed Messi and Farias embracing on the pitch. And fans were quick to question who the mystery woman was, with some suggesting it could be a family member.
According to Argentine newspaper Clarin, Farias has worked as a chef with the Argentina squad for the last decade and regularly travels with the team across the world. The 42-year-old went to the World Cup in Russia four years ago and was also part of the backroom set-up when the side won the Copa America last year. She is also clearly a popular figure with Messi, and the fact he was so overjoyed to see her says a lot about his warm, team player-led mentality.
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The chef is said to be well-loved by the squad due to her attitude around the camp and her culinary skills. And she was even given a birthday cake during the Russia tournament as Messi also celebrated his big day.
Argentina’s World Cup triumph came after they had begun their tournament with a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia. But Lionel Scaloni’s side dusted themselves down and won their group following victories over Mexico and Poland. The South Americans then overcame Australia in the last 16, before getting the better of the Netherlands after a quarter-final penalty shootout. Argentina then thrashed Croatia 3-0 in the last four, before seeing off Les Bleus in the showpiece event.
The Argentina squad have since returned home to celebrate their success. But their bus parade in Buenos Aires was forced to end early amid chaos and violent scenes around the city.
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