‘We have the best players here’: Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario celebrates World Cup win

The local football rivalry between Central and Newell’s was set aside Sunday as seemingly the entire city celebrated the national team’s victory.

“It’s madness. It surpassed my expectations with so many people on the same wavelength, everyone celebrating. That’s what’s most beautiful about today,” said Jeremias Regolo, 26, who joined the celebrations at the National Flag Memorial.

Micaela Junco, 28, said the victory felt special to her because it was the first World Cup title in her lifetime. The last time Argentina won the tournament was in 1986.

“It’s an incredible feeling for Argentina to win, for all of us to be pulling in the same direction,” Junco said. “Being the best in the world is priceless.”

Junco felt “proud” of the key roles Di Maria and Messi played in the match “because they are from Rosario. We have the best players here in Rosario.”

Fans also took from how the triumph gave the country a respite from its usual worries at a time when it is suffering one of the world’s highest inflation rates, of almost 100 percent annually.

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“Argentina deserved this happiness, beyond everything bad that is happening in the country,” Rodrigo Medina, 21, said. “The Rosario boys have always shown they’re up to the challenge.”

Reporting by AP

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