Messi was great again. Feast of football at Wembley from the inside. UEFA should follow this direction

They said it was a pie cup. They complained that we would only remember her by saying goodbye to Giorgio Chiellini. Meanwhile, this year’s Finalissima turned out to be a great football holiday and at the same time showed that Argentina can really count in the fight for the world championship.

It was an intense 24 hours. I had not yet managed to shake off the performance that was served on the court by Philippe Chatrier, Novak Djoković and Rafael Nadal, and we had to get ready for the plane. Although the flight from Poznań to London was full, it was not with football fans flying towards Wembley. However, I have already met these at Stansted Airport, and when the slogan “Argentina” was mentioned in my telephone conversation on the train to the center, the boy sitting next to me in a River Plate T-shirt only smiled from ear to ear.

Just like on the train, the Argentinians dominated in the city, as well as in the stadium. All in all, it’s no wonder. It was one of the few opportunities to see his national team for a wide population of South American supporters living in Europe. And those of the “Albicelestes” fans who made it to the stadium that day certainly did not regret it. The players of the coach Lionel Scaloni prepared a real show for us.

History has come full circle

Where did the idea to play the Italy – Argentina match in London come from? The match for the Cup of Artemio Franchi, a well-known Italian football activist, was played for the first time on the initiative of UEFA and CONMEBOL in 1985. From the beginning, the meeting was to be the representative equivalent of the club’s Intercontinental Cup. In its first edition at the Parc des Princes the then European champions the French defeated 2-0 Uruguay, the winner of the 1983 Copa America.

Four years later, Urusia could have a second chance to play for this trophy, but then they did not get along with the Dutch on the right date. The Artemio Franci Cup was played again – in 1993, when the Argentine team defeated the Danes on penalties in Mar del Plata. It was after the Confederation Cup was established, which eventually replaced the direct duel between the best teams of the Old Continent and South America in a natural way.

However, when FIFA decided to liquidate the Confederations Cup, UEFA and CONMEBOL saw the opportunity to revive the competition. In February 2020, these two organizations signed a special agreement, one of the provisions of which was to explore the possibility of holding international matches between representations from both continents. In September last year, it was decided that the champions of EURO and Copa America would go to the first fire, and the Italians and Argentinians will play the first of the three editions planned for now at Wembley in June.

Bull’s-eye

It must be said directly that the decision to organize the match in London was a bull’s eye. There is probably no better place historically for such a meeting than the temple of English football. An object that is important not only for football itself, but for the world in general. The place where in 1975 Evel Knievel tried to jump over 13 buses on a motorcycle, in 1982 Pope John Paul II hosted, and three years later the famous Live Aid concert took place – all this reminded me of the official match program, which was available at the stadium and its vicinity.

Before I even got there, I had the chance to wander the streets of the English capital for several hours. In London itself, there aren’t many signs that there will be a meeting of two legendary football teams in a few hours. Tourists and residents were much more preparing for the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee, i.e. the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It was this subject that also dominated the covers of British newspapers and tabloids.

I found a bit of a football atmosphere on Picadilly Circus. It is in the vicinity of this crowded shopping square that football fans have gathered, waiting for the evening game. Among them was also an Italian journalist who could not believe one of his countrymen who, instead of wearing the Azzurri national team jersey, was parading in front of him in a white and blue jersey with a tense and the name of Maradona on his back. Such a happening on the Apennine Peninsula would certainly forgive him only in Naples.

Broken likes

Filled to the brim with fans, tourists, shopaholics and, to a much lesser extent, ordinary Londoners, the city center was finally to be turned into a Wembley suburb in the northwest. I expected that through the prism of historical blurring between Great Britain and Argentina, the locals would not entirely look favorably on the “Albicelestes” T-shirt I was wearing and by me. Although I did meet with one or two shouts of “Italy” in my direction, the sympathies of the “locals” were strongly divided, which is best evidenced by the conversation with the English, who already accosted me to the stadium on the subway.

– Who’s playing? he asked, to my surprise though.

– Argentina with Italy – I replied, although one of the teams has already managed to decode my T-shirt.

– May you win. Especially after what the Italians did to us last year.

The English did not forget about the humiliation that befell them at EURO 2020. After all, Gareth Southgate’s team had the European championship at their fingertips. The “Sons of Albion” played almost all games, including the final, in front of their own audience. And when it seemed that it was at Wembley, the stadium where Geoff Hurst showed his Hattrick in 1966, and The Three Lions defeated Germany 4: 2 and won the World Cup, they will finally be able to break through and win another national trophy. The Italians, however, turned out to be an unpleasant imp for them, and in the case of the honorable English this wound has not yet fully healed.

Dispute and beer in jackets

After reaching the stadium, very early in my case, more than two and a half hours before the first whistle, I really felt the atmosphere of a football festival. Crowds of fans dressed in intertwining blue and white and blue colors. Merchandising craze, two fan zones. It was only in them that you could drink alcohol, in other places you had to rub golden liquid in jackets or other paper bags. Of course, the whole feast was accompanied by numerous, lively, as befits the Southerners, discussions on the possible scenarios of the evening duel. I was even drawn into one of them by an Argentinean radio journalist.

– Are you from Spain? he demanded.

– Not from Poland.

– Why Argentina? Why are you rooting for them today?

– You know, of course it’s about Leo Messi. Nevertheless, I also very much admire Lionel Scaloni for the progress he has made with this team – I honestly replied.

Of course, there was also a banter about whether then in Qatar in the match against Poland I will also support “Albicelestes”. However, together with my Argentine colleague, we came to an agreement that the best draw in that match will be the best, which will ultimately lead both teams to leave the group for the next phase of the World Cup. After what we saw later in the stadium, we will be able to consider the draw of coach Czesław Michniewicz’s team at the Arab tournament as quite a success.

Galactic football

Regardless of the sympathies of the fans, the national team of Argentina presented galactic football on Wednesday evening at Wembley. Leo Messi could remember his last time at this stadium, when he and Barcelona were dismantled here in the Champions League final, Manchester United. Although now he did not have such a sensational season behind him at Paris Saint-Germain, he showed a phenomenal side in the match against Italy. Despite the fact that he did not score, he conducted his colleagues very well and recorded two great assists. The list of shooters also included recognized names – Angel Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez and Paulo Dybala.

While the Argentinians can certainly be satisfied after this meeting, because they are probably slowly parting ways with the label of “eternal losers”, the mood in the Apennine Peninsula is definitely mighty. 2022 certainly does not belong to the representation led by Roberto Mancini. Not only will the Italians be missing at the upcoming World Cup, but also all the weaknesses of the European champion were exposed in the Wednesday performance. Certainly not such a farewell to the team was expected by a footballer of such a class as Giorgio Chiellini.

Finalissima will go down in history not only as a huge success for Argentine football. This match for UEFA and CONMEBOL may be a catalyst for further joint projects, not necessarily dependent on FIFA. Fans, in turn, had a chance to see some really great players in a match, the attitude of which was certainly different than before the friendly matches. On the pitch, just like the stands, we were dealing with a real celebration. And this is what, especially in national team football, should be about.