Musings on the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar, controversies and the David versus Goliath narratives which played out on and off the pitch
A general view outside the Lusail Stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
“Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar, quiero ganar la tercera , quiero ser campeon mundial.”
“Boys, we have our hopes up again, I want to win the third, I want to be world champion,” so goes the song, which was chanted by thousands of fans on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, when Argentina beat Croatia 3-0.
I was there.
So were 89,995 other fans. Almost everyone who was not from Croatia was supporting Argentina. The song was being sung so loudly that it almost made me worry about the structural integrity of the majestic and massive Lusail stadium. My fourteen-year-old son raced across the city the very day we arrived to buy the Argentina jersey and flag. Though at the match venue flags were being handed out free, the trek was well worth it. It was the spirit that mattered. It was the vibe that was infectious.