Fans of the Argentina team that claimed soccer’s ultimate prize in Qatar this month are lining up in Buenos Aires for tattoos of victorious captain Lionel Messi and the FIFA World Cup trophy.
“For the next two weeks, I have [appointments] exclusively related to the World Cup,” tattoo artist Esteban Vucinovich said.
“Some had already made an appointment for tattoos of snakes or skulls, but they are changing it to Messi or the cup. I have two or three appointments a day,” he said.
Photo: AFP
The most requested skin art is of the trophy, said Vucinovich, followed by Messi and then goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was crucial in Argentina’s victory in the final against France.
Many fans are inspired by the body art of Argentina players such as Angel di Maria, who is sporting a World Cup tattoo on his right leg.
“I got a tattoo of Messi as a gesture of thanks,” civil servant Nicolas Rechanik said. “This represents not only what Messi is, but also the team that brought us a third World Cup and all the years of effort to reach this goal.”
Before getting the image of Messi in the team’s blue-and-white striped jersey and kissing the trophy indelibly attached to his left leg, Rechanik already sported the likeness of another Argentine soccer icon: Diego Maradona.
“It’s a perfect representation of what Argentine football is and what it means to be Argentine,” he said.
Soccer fanatic Alma Ocampo, 20, decided to get a tattoo when, to everyone’s surprise, Argentina lost its first match of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
“When everyone lost confidence, I decided that ... if Argentina wins, I will get a tattoo of the Cup. And so I did, with the date December 18, 2022” of the final, she said, adding that “it hurt quite a bit.”
Ariel Sacchi, a physical education teacher, got a tattoo representing all five World Cups that Messi has played in. At the center is an image of the Argentina captain kissing the Cup.
“I decided to get Leo [Messi] because he brought the greatest joy to all Argentines,” Sacchi said.
Not all tattoos are equal though, and many a fan has been mocked on social media for blundered ink: A fat-faced Messi or misspelled names are among the trending topics.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 to book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, setting up a repeat of last year’s NHL showpiece against reigning champions the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, bidding to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL’s championship series since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, head to Florida for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for Wednesday. Florida, who are to play in the NHL showpiece for the third straight season, won last year’s title 4-3 to extend Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. Connor McDavid led Edmonton back to the championship series on
RSS