An archbishop quoted Messi at Argentina's Independence Day mass — and they play a semifinal this Saturday
On the eve of the clash with Switzerland, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires used Messi's own words in his sermon. Argentina wants to turn that message into a title.
It's not every day a footballer becomes the subject of a sermon. But Lionel Messi is not every footballer.
On Thursday (9), the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, quoted the No. 10 during the Independence Day mass — in front of President Javier Milei, at the Buenos Aires Cathedral. The theme was unity. And the example he chose was Messi.
"When we Argentines fight together and remain united, we are capable of achieving everything we set out to do," the archbishop said, reproducing a passage from a post the star made after the third World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, according to ge.
The timing could not have been better. Two days later, this Saturday (11), Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City for a place in the World Cup semifinals.
The road here has already had plenty of drama. Against Egypt, Argentina were losing with 34 minutes of the second half gone — and turned it around with three goals in less than 12 minutes. Messi scored in the 38th minute of the second half, from inside the box. A miracle? Perhaps. But the kind of miracle only he produces.
On the other side, Mohamed Salah left the tournament with his head held high. At 34, Egypt's all-time top scorer acknowledged the pain of elimination but promised more: "This team deserves your trust," he wrote, according to ge. For Egypt, it was the best campaign in their history — in 1934, 1990 and 2018, they didn't even make it out of the group stage.
Golmetria's model gives Argentina a 22.3% chance of winning the title — the highest figure among all remaining teams. For hosts the USA, that number drops to 0.21%.
The word has already been spoken at the altar. Now Messi needs to say it on the pitch in Kansas City.