World Cup secret story seen by a reporter who "moved Messi's heart" February 20 18:13
Lionel Messi, the captain who led Argentina to victory at the World Cup Qatar tournament.
Known for his cool and shy personality, he rarely showed emotion, but there was a moment when Messi showed a different expression than ever before.
What I pulled out was a young journalist, Sophia Martinez.
With her eccentric behavior, she shook Messi's heart and tried to carve out the future of her homeland.
(NHK Special "Messi and I" coverage team)
NHK Special "Messi and I" February 20 (Mon) [General] 22:00-
controversial interview
There was a milestone off the pitch in the semi-final between Argentina and Croatia.
It was after the game that Argentina decided to advance to the final for the first time in eight years.
Sophia Martinez, a journalist from Argentine Public Broadcasting, was waiting for Messi in the mixed zone.
She spots Messi coming out and she calls out immediately.
The interview time is only 1 minute.
The game is how much you can draw out the words of the players, but on this day Sophia took an unexpected action.
“This is not a question, but I have something to tell you. The next
step
is the World Cup final, and everyone wants to win.
I have"
"There is no child without your uniform. It
may not be real, it may be fake, or it may be handmade."
“You left a mark on people's lives. It's more important than any victory. It's something that no one can take away
. Thank you
, Captain."
He spent 35 seconds, more than half of his time, giving Messi a message instead of asking a question.
Criticisms such as ``Why are you talking when you're a journalist?'' and ``That's not journalism.
Messi has been unable to reach the World Cup in the past four tournaments, even though he continued to carry the country's expectations.
Many fans received more than words from Messi's expression, which he had never shown before.
Sofia's Instagram followers increased by 500,000 at once.
It became a hot topic in Argentina, as well as media around the world, including the United States, South Korea, and Israel.
I'm glad I didn't win!
?
We visited Sofia in Argentina to dig deeper into her interview.
While I was waiting at the entrance of my apartment in a residential area of Buenos Aires, Sophia appeared with a big orange juice in her dainty arms for all of us.
Domestically, Sophia is quite a celebrity, and the interview finally began as the Argentinian staff seemed to be in high spirits.
Why did you throw those words at me instead of asking?
Journalist Sophia Martínez
: "Maybe it's just my own imagination, but Messi was on the pitch after the semi-final, and I felt like he was watching the supporters with the intention of keeping them in his memory for the rest of his life."
“When I saw how happy they were, I thought that even if the next final result is bad, I can’t let this end
. I think that
even if it doesn't turn out the way everyone expected to win the World Cup, what he did for Argentina will leave something behind."
“Whether you win or not,
I wanted people to understand that it is not the result that counts. If I
say that after Argentina lost in the final, it will only sound like consolation
. I thought it was the right time to tell you.I
wanted you to know that ``the happiness of all Argentineans is because of you'' and go into the final."
Argentine football journalism tradition seems to be behind Sofia's repeated insistence that it's not the result.
According to other Argentinian journalists, the football media in this country is all about results.
Whether it's the national team or an ace like Messi, it seems to be customary to criticize them when they lose.
And the public is starting to get a little tired of such belligerent criticism.
Sofia broke that tradition and tried to reiterate through Messi's presence that there must be something great about football other than winning.
Messi connecting a divided society
No matter what the outcome of the final would be, Sofia wanted to somehow connect this World Cup to the future of Argentinean society.
“There are many problems in this country, such as high inflation and government decision-making. As for domestic football, because of the extreme passion, it is embarrassing that there are often negative things such as clashes between supporters. happen"
Not only Sofia, but all the people I met through this interview were suffering from the current economic situation.
The consumer price increase rate in 2022 is 94.8%, a state of hyperinflation.
We are in the midst of an extraordinary situation where the purchasing power of the currency has fallen by almost half in a year.
It was originally a country with a large economic disparity, but it is said that the gap between those who have overseas assets and dollar assets and those who do not is becoming more serious.
Sofia believes that Argentina's victory, and Messi's success in leading it, has also helped unite a divided society.
It was the scene of singing the national anthem before the final match that embodied it.
Normally, Messi only hums, but in the final he sang as loud as he could.
"The best football player in the world sings the national anthem with the same feeling as us. Wearing the same uniform as me and feeling as Argentinian as I am. It's a very proud moment. It's a happy moment." bottom"
"Where are you looking? Idiot" behind the rant
There is a scene that Sophia is very concerned about.
It's a rough quarter-final, Argentina vs Holland.
Messi made a pose to provoke the opponents' bench, and during the post-match interview, he swears at the Dutch player who appeared in the mixed zone, "Where are you looking, idiot?"
Many of the Argentinians were very enthusiastic about this.
He was overjoyed that Messi, who had been considered relatively well-behaved, had finally 'Maradonaized'.
In the city of Buenos Areis, murals of provocative poses of this time are drawn, and people who imitate and take pictures are endless.
Thousands of T-shirts featuring this pose and rant have been sold at bootleg merchandise stores.
The public applauds that another Messi legend has been added.
Sophia, however, was listening to Messi's unexpected real intentions.
"Messi regretted saying 'Where are you looking, idiot' and regretting his provocative gesture. Many people praise and deify that act, but he said,
' I don't want you to stay behind.'
Because I know there are many people who learn from him, emulate him, and worship him. "
Contrary to the excitement around him, Messi regretted his words and actions against the Netherlands.
In particular, Messi was concerned about the negative impact on children.
Messi and children
A closer look reveals that Messi has certainly put a lot of energy and time into his relationships with children.
Visiting my alma mater in my hometown and supporting the Childhood Cancer Center in Barcelona.
He once hosted children affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.
Why is it a "child"?
We visited a boy's and girls' soccer club in a neighborhood called Villa on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
The area is home to many economically disadvantaged people and has a high crime rate.
It is a well-known story that the hero Maradona rose from such an area.
When I arrived at the soccer field, boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 10 were playing soccer in puddles despite the sudden downpour.
Club president Taka said with a smile.
Soccer club president Taka
: “When you are born here, you start kicking the ball when you are still in diapers. How do you know? Tennis requires expensive rackets, and rugby costs money. I'm going to come here on Saturday and kick a plastic bottle, kids are destined to kick a ball because there's nothing else."
Continuing the interview, Taka frowns and tells us what soccer means to children.
"The most important thing is to stay away from drugs and alcohol. When you play football, you don't have time to hang out with bad guys. You don't get into drugs."
In addition to the use of drugs and alcohol, many children under the age of 16 are involved in drug trafficking, which is a social problem.
Rosario, where Messi was born and raised, also has many such areas.
For Argentina, Messi knows firsthand that football has important social implications to keep children on track.
And, without exaggeration, almost all soccer kids look up to Messi.
That's probably why he said, "I regret it," for his words and deeds as if they were quarreling with the other party.
By the way, Villa is said to be a dangerous area for foreigners to visit, but everyone in the area is on good terms with each other like family.
He invited me from Japan to an asado (Argentine style BBQ) and he was very kind and made me feel very welcome.
Argentina as "Messi's Country"
December 18th.
Sofia was waiting for Messi in the mixed zone after the final.
It is a moment of great joy.
In the midst of all the excitement, she knew she wouldn't be able to speak to Messi.
Along with his teammates, Messi appeared with the World Cup in his hand.
Many reporters call out, but Messi and the other players keep singing, screaming and dancing.
No one gave an interview.
But when Messi spotted Sofia, he approached her and gave her a powerful high-five.
That was enough for Sophia.
After seeing her win, Sophia returns to Buenos Aires and is amazed at how her homeland has changed.
“Before I went to Qatar, it was a country full of problems, but when I came back, it was a country in love where everything seemed rosy. I think that’s the magic of
football
. It creates negative things, but that passion also creates beautiful things, and the
World Cup has created something really beautiful: national unity."
This time, in Argentina, I interviewed more than 10 people who were greatly influenced by Messi, and all of them mentioned the solidarity they felt at this World Cup.
In a society that feels divided in politics, economy, culture, and all other aspects, only Messi's success has made it possible to forget all barriers and unite hearts.
Two months after winning the title, many still wear the number 10 jersey, and the Aurora Vision on the main street shows footage of Messi holding up the World Cup over and over again.
At the end of the interview, we asked the Argentinian coordinator and cameraman.
"I'd like to interview people who are critics of Messi, what do you think?"
they answered immediately.
"It's hard to find someone like that in this country right now."
NHK Special Director
Yuuki Saito
Watched Spanish films and longed for the world of images Joined NHK in 2006 Completed
beginner's
Spanish language course at the University of Havana, Cuba
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