Despite tasting little or no success in the last 32 years, Argentina have always been at the centre of attraction in the Fifa World Cup, thanks to their superstar Lionel Messi.
It is no different this time as well.
Fans thronged the open-to–public training session in Bronnitsy, 60-odd km away from Moscow Red Square, to see the legendary footballer with their own eyes.
Due to huge response, the organisers failed to distribute tickets to everyone, and that created chaos in front of the practice arena, situated beside the Moscow river. Most of them came from faraway lands but were unable to make it to the ground and see Messi in flesh.
Even many Fifa-accredited journalists were denied entry owing to the huge number of fans. On occasions, they argued with the volunteers and security, but that did not get them any luck.
?? 7 - Lionel Messi scored seven goals in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for Argentina - no other Argentinian player scored more than two. Vital. #OptaWCPreview ?? pic.twitter.com/6DVcosTLFY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 11, 2018
However, a boy named Daniil Melashchaenko was lucky enough. He not only saw the Argentina side from touching distance, but was also able to get a Paulo Dybala autograph.
Most importantly, he took a Messi autograph in one of the World Cup balls. The 12-year old went there with his group, wearing the yellow jersey of his academy where he plays football nowadays.
The boy hails from the village of Chul Kovo, 22km away from the training ground. His favourite footballer is none other than Messi. He and his friends were visibly elated when they came out of the ground. They could not believe their luck. Although it was tough to understand their words due to the language barrier, their gestures said it all.
Like Daniil and his friends, there were a few lucky ones who got to see the Argentine great. However, there were also many who made huge efforts but failed to realise their dream.
