Messi dedicates the Copa America win to his "ideal"
The Argentine star, Lionel Messi, gave the title of the Copa America soccer competition, which the Tango team achieved at the expense of Brazil, to his family, his country and the late star and his idol, his compatriot Diego Armando Maradona.
Argentina won their first Copa America title since 1993 at the expense of Brazil with a clean goal by Angel Di Maria at the famous Maracana stadium in Rio Janeiro on Saturday. Messi won the long-awaited first major international title with his country after failing in four major finals.
"I want to dedicate this success to my family who have always given me the confidence to continue, to my friends who I love so much, to all the people who support us and above all to the 45 million Argentines who have suffered so much with this horrible virus," Al-Barghout said on his Instagram.
Argentina is close to nearly 100,000 deaths from Covid-19, and withdrew its hosting of the tournament weeks before its launch due to the repercussions of the pandemic, along with Colombia, which is witnessing violent anti-government protests.
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) moved the tournament to Brazil at the last minute, amid sharp criticism against officials in the country, which has recorded more than half a million deaths from the virus, the second highest number after the United States.
Messi, who was named the best player in the tournament, also paid tribute to Maradona, who died at the age of 60 last November, noting that "Diego definitely supported us wherever he was."
Argentina did not organize official celebrations due to the repercussions of the pandemic, but the fans gathered in the capital, Buenos Aires, when the team returned to its country and welcomed its heroes, while thousands gathered in various Argentine cities to celebrate this achievement.
After a quick party at the headquarters of the local federation in the Argentine capital, the players left by various means without making a fuss.
The 34-year-old Barcelona star concluded: "In order to continue the celebration, we must take care of each other, we must not forget that there is still a long way to go back to normal. Take advantage of this joy to draw strength to fight this virus together."
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