Papu Gomez has reminisced about when Argentina won the Copa America last summer at their great rivals Brazil’s expense. They won the final at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, ending Argentina’s long wait for a major trophy. They last time they had won any competition of note was also the Copa America in 1993.
Papu joked that if he were his Sevilla teammate Marcos Acuna, he’d get the famous photograph of him and Lionel Messi tattooed on his back. He’s referring to the moment where Acuna was the first to get to Messi and hug him after Argentina won the game.
“We went out running, we all hugged Leo,” Papu said as carried by Roy Nemer. “If I was Acuna, I would tattoo that photo. He was the first one to get to him and he had the privilege of being in that moment, hugging him, I would have tattooed it on my back.”
The victory was huge for Messi, who’s been compared to the great Diego Maradona ever since he took his first steps as a footballer. Maradona, of course, led Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, a tough feat to live up to. The former Barcelona man will be focused on emulating his compatriot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, probably his last chance to do so at 34.
Papu Gomez on winning Copa America with Lionel Messi: "We went out running, we all hugged Leo […] If I was Acuña, I would tattoo that photo, he was the first one to get to him and he had the privilege of being in that moment, hugging him, I would have tattooed it on my back." pic.twitter.com/frTwElaZRe
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) February 1, 2022
