Argentina fans in Qatar give Messi noisy backing

GBNEWS24DESK//

An advanced guard of Argentina football fans chanted their certainty that Lionel Messi’s last World Cup will end in success Monday ahead of the Latin American side becoming the first to set up their base camp in Qatar.

Scores of fans gathered at the World Cup countdown clock on Doha’s seafront chanting Messi’s name and waving flags, 13 days before the tournament starts, as bemused police watched the mounting football fever in the Gulf state.

Many went to the clock to welcome Matías Villarroel, Silvio Gatti, Leandro Blanco and Lucas Ledezma who cycled 10,500 kilometers (6,500 miles) across Africa to reach Doha on Monday. But Messi was on the minds of the riders and the other fans.

“The dream behind cycling this whole route is that Argentina will win the World Cup and that Leo will lift the trophy on December 18,” said Blanco.

Argentina’s cyclist Lucas Ledezma and his teammates cheer with their compatriots upon arriving in Doha. PHOTO: AFP

While Argentina won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, Messi, one of the greatest players ever, has only been a losing finalist, in 2014.

“The emotion we feel here is immense, we spent six months cycling through Africa and the Middle East, to be here in Doha today and for this party.”

“We have a lot of faith and a lot of hope, that’s why we have done all this craziness, so we are starting to live this beautiful World Cup here in Qatar.”

Around them fans in Argentina’s blue and white shirts chanting a traditional refrain taunting traditional rivals England. “If you don’t jump up and down you are English,” they shouted.