- After 36 years, Argentina won the World Cup again in a nail-biting match against France.
- Hundreds of Argentines gathered at Maradona's house from the 90s to watch the game on a big screen.
- The house was saved from demolition by the current owner who chose to open the doors to soccer fans.
An incredible journey started on Sunday afternoon as Argentina played the World Cup Final, which ended around 3:30 pm after what felt like an eternity. The match had everything, Argentina leading, then France tying, overtime with two goals, and finally, penalty kicks. It concluded with Argentina becoming champion again, something that hadn't happened since 1986.
The friendliest clash of generations gathered at Buenos Aires' neighborhood Villa Devoto, where Diego Maradona spent a long time in Argentina in the 1990s; the house was actually purchased for his parents to live in. People forgot their political beliefs and their local soccer teams and watched — almost without breathing — the never-ending game.
I was able to get into Maradona's house for the game, and it was unforgettable.
Everyone kept thinking about 1986
The journey started at 10 am when I left my home towards Cantilo St. I've always defended cábalas, the Argentine superstition rituals. Therefore I wore the same T-shirt I had on from the second game Argentina played in Qatar.
Javier Bogado, my taxi driver, started talking spontaneously when we headed to Cantilo St's house, "I want this World Cup for Messi. I enjoyed Mexico 1986 a lot; I watched the final match with my father. The highlight was beating England. That meant the title for us; we wanted to play them in this World Cup, not France. When we beat the Netherlands, I started begging for England to beat France and reach the final," he said.
As I arrived at the entrance, I saw policemen around the place and people asking to be let in. I had arranged ahead of time, so I walked right into the historic home.
I found Ariel Fernando Garcia, the owner of the house who bought it recently. "I saved it from demolition," he said. "It would have been a big injustice to Maradona's memory. I was given the keys to this house prior to the second game of the World Cup against Mexico. We are confident that we will give a tribute to Maradona," he told Insider.
Game after game, he opened the house's doors to the people, offering copious amounts of meat on the grill, drinks, and giving fans a great experience.
After taking pictures and grabbing a little sandwich, I got ready alongside the rest of the media to enjoy the game. People gathered together, and the light blue and white of the national team's jersey took over the green grass.
It was a nail-biting match
The first 10 minutes of domination of Argentina raised optimism. But soccer is a sport that does not forgive.
Lionel Messi scored from a penalty kick and increased hopes. Then DiMaria scored the second goal. The house, just like the neighborhood, the city, and the country, exploded in joy.
The opposite seemed to be the French side when Giroud and Ousmane Dembele were substituted before halftime.
It was time to grab a can of soda, as the grill was already out of reach. With so many people heading towards and back from restrooms, it was safer for me to keep a place with a great view of the big screens.
It was all joy 10 minutes before the end until Kylian Mbappé showed his plans. As if a big roof covered the sun, the joyful and happy garden only let the drums play a few more seconds until the equalizer paralyzed everyone. From 90 to 120 minutes, it was silence.
Argentina has always been historic when it comes to penalty kicks
Argentina always had some special feeling with penalty shootouts. There's a big nostalgia for the 1990 World Cup where Sergio Goycochea, nowadays a sports TV host in the country, emerged as the first big hero, saving two penalties against Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals and two more against Italy in the semifinals. The always eccentric Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez did his job by saving two penalties from the French team.
The crowds exploded in cheers with the final kick. Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive penalty. People started jumping into the pool, clothes and all, and it was all joy and celebration.
Argentina won their third World Cup after the 1978 and 1986 titles.
"Why are you crying so much?" Mili, an ESPN producer, asked me. Having turned 32 years old last week, it's my first World Cup after my father passed away on March 2021. Carrying one of our best pictures together made me tear up after holding it and understanding that somewhere in heaven, he was sitting on his sofa having a coffee or a drink celebrating.
Soccer for Argentines comes with hopes, fears, hugs, tears, suffering, and celebrating. But it also involves chasing dreams.
A whole generation of Argentines grew up without winning any titles. They can finally say that December 18, 2022, was the day the country and its people dreamed of for 36 years.