For decades, Brazilians watched the main matches of the World Cups with the narration of Galvão Bueno, the number 1 announcer of the powerful Rede Globo. Throughout his career, he was the great promoter of the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. He was the creator of the slogan: “Winning is good, but beating Argentina is much better!”. On Sunday, however, in the match that would be his retirement from the World Cup, something different happened. Shortly before the start of the match, the Argentine and French players warmed up on the field and the Rede Globo team made the inaugural broadcast from a pulpit near the pitch. Galvão saw Messi approaching and said, in a very loud voice: “Show!” The ace listened, recognized him and greeted him. On his twitter, Galvão posted: “He sent me a wave with his hand!! This is my World Cup photo!!”.
During the game, Galvão assumed that, perhaps for the first time in his life, he was supporting Argentina. How to explain this change in attitude? Simple! Galvão, like tens of millions of Brazilians, surrendered to the genius of Lionel Messi.
History has us used to having charming players wearing the jersey of the Brazilian team. Our pride allowed us to say with our mouths full that we had the best athletes in the world in the best team in the world. That, if it was ever true, is no longer true, and it’s been a while. Ronaldo Fenômeno, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu and even Kaká were in the Qatar boxes to remind us that they are part of the past. Because in these times, our great star, Neymar, reached his peak in Barcelona as Messi’s assistant.
I asked my 16-year-old son Francisco (like the Pope) about the reasons that led him to support Argentina with such enthusiasm. His response was the same as that of my great friend Irineu Franco Perpétuo, with whom I share my love for Maradona, Che Guevara, Piazzolla and Borges: “Messi deserved to win a World Cup.”
Martín Granovsky recounted in Page 12 his surprise with so many Brazilian friends cheering for Argentina. After all, what did the albiceleste do to arouse so much admiration and respect, to the point of melting our historic football rivalry?
Martín is right when he says that Argentine seriousness counted points. He is also happy to sense that the sobriety of Messi and Scaloni has made the leniency of Neymar and Tite even more flagrant. There’s no doubt that impoverished Argentine boys who don’t forget where they come from elicited our sympathy, even more so when impoverished Brazilians choose to flaunt their wealth by eating gold-plated meat. In fact, I would say that Martín’s only mistake in his article is to believe that there may be someone more from Tucuman than Felipe Yapur. The rest is completely accurate.
I think that all Brazilians, lovers of good football, bow down to an Argentine team that knew how to use tactical prowess to exalt the magical power of the South American player. A team that, well trained, reaffirmed that this continent is home to excellent players and is still capable of playing the most beautiful football. And, if we were not the bearers of hope (although sometimes we also knew how to be), it is good that our Brothers are.
So it wasn’t our tantrum against France, responsible for dark experiences like the 3-0 defeat in 1998, that moved us with Di María’s dribbles and Dibu Martínez’s saves. Nor was it our difficulty to wear the yellow shirt of our team again after it was kidnapped by Bolsonarism. That he counted, but it was not the main thing. What really contributed to Brazil’s surrender to Argentina was summed up well by an internet meme: “Ele Meressi”.
For my part, I have always supported Argentina. At the age of 10 I fell in love with Maradona, like someone who falls in love with his kidnapper. Love began after he passed the ball to Caniggia in the 1-0 round of 16 of that World Cup Italy 90, eliminating Brazil and making me cry for a few hours. For this reason, I am glad that the prophecy has been fulfilled, producing the perfect link between the two great left-handers in recent football history: Maradona and Messi. After so many defeats, a series of victories followed Diego’s death: against Brazil in the Maracana, in the Copa América; against Italy, one-on-one with the European champion; against France, the feared world champion led by the genius that is Mbappé.
In Messi’s last game, we saw an epic dance. A match that established him as the most victorious of all winners: the world champion and the player who has played the most world matches. But, for us Brazilians, this match will also be remembered as the one in which Brazil surrendered to Messi and Argentina. A game in which we celebrate together the beauty and genius that are capable of blurring borders and fulfilling, at least for a few hours, the dream of the Great Homeland.
And that, of course, ends in the next superclassic.
* Brazilian journalist and writer
